Muse
by Black-Rose01
Summary: She promised to be his forever, as long as he spared her sisters life. Now she is the inspiration for his art, she is what he fights for. She is his muse.
1. Men!

Rose: Okay. I had this idea in my head, it actually linked in with another story but then I realised it wouldn't work so now it's on its own. ENJOY!

Disclaimer: If I really owned Naruto then would you be reading my ideas? No. You'd be watching them.

* * *

"Hey Akina did ya hear?" I turned and looked back down the stairwell of the Hokage's Tower, towards a tall, dark haired female Jonin "Squad seven of the Niju Shotai caught some Akatsuki. Is that your squad?"

"No" I replied, smiling slighly "mine is squad one"

The jonin blushed a deep red "Sorry, I can never remember which colour means what" "

"No worries" I laughed "now if you'll excuse me I have to see Tusunde about the Anbu cells, where else are we going to keep them?"

"Oh…You knew then?"

"The moment they entered the gates"

"Oops"

I laughed again "but thanks for telling me anyway, it's nice to know that people still talk to each other"

"Yeah, isn't it just?"

"Mai" another voice bellowed,

"That's my captian, bye Akina" the girl turned and trotted down the stairs towards her squad, I smiled slighly and glanced at the clipboard in my hand, I can't believe she bought that lie!

"Oi! Snow-Top. You coming or what?" I turned and followed Abir up the rest of the stairs, Abir was one of the summons I wasn't to proud of…But he got the job done. Not one for fighting he was usually used as my lap-dog…Literally speaking.

He is a low level stage of a Guardian of the Forest jutsu, a small, knee height black Houkou with red eyes, a Houkou is a five tailed dog. But Abir, being young. Had only one.

Reaching the top of the staircase I glanced at the summon "did you know two Akatsuki had been captured?"

"I know what you know at the time of summoning"

"Thanks Abir" I rolled my eyes, he smirked and the clipboard around his neck rattled,

"No probs Snow-Top"

"Don't call me that! It's not even white!"

"Not now at least"

* * *

I gave three short knocks on Tusunde's office door before turned the knob and entering, I'd given her fair warning, if she was too drunk to hear it then that was her fault.

Tusunde was sitting behind her desk. Looking sober! I glanced at Abir who mearly shrugged,

"Akina. You're early!"

"Okay I'll leave" I shrugged and turned around, only to stop at the sound of the Hokage's shriek,

"MY GOD! YOUR HAIR!"

I twisted my upper body to look at her "what about it?"

"What happened?"

"I was ambushed!"

"And the enemy dyed you **hair**?!"

"No. Sakura, Ino, Hinata and Tenten died my hair, apartently they thought I needed a change of tone"

"By dying it purple?"

"Actually I think they were trying to dye it blue but some red got mixed in so…Purple galore!" I waved my arms around in mock joy,

"Well it does go nicely with your eyes…Blue and purple and…Your eyebrows are still white!"

"I know"

"They didn't dye your eyebrows?"

"It took three of them to hold me down. I don't think they had the chance to"

"Is it a wash out?"

"No"

The knock at the door paused our chuckling, or **her** chuckling and my sighing, I stepped forwards, more towards the blond woman, to allow the visitor more room,

"Hokage, we have the prisoners ready for you…Oh Akina ma'am, I didn't see you. Are you well?"

"I'm fine thank you"

"Lead them in Ginna" Tusunde motioned for the man to enter, he strolled in, a chakra draining chain grasped tightly in his hands, with a sharp tug, two men were yanked into the office after him, the first was about a head taller than myself, with sharp, cornflower blue eyes, most of his long blond hair had become tangled and had fallen out of the top-knot on the back of his head,

The second was shorter than the first, but still taller than me, unlike his partner, he had no cloak instead he had a dark shawl draped around his shoulders, his face was covered by an orange, sprialing mask and atop his head was a mass of dark, spiky hair.

"AHHH" he screamed "TOBI IS A GOOD BOY!"

"Put a sock in it you dolt, un" the blond yelled, throwing his leg out to try and kick his companion, but the shackles around his ankles prevented him from doing so, he snarled in annoyance,

"Deidara" Tusunde sighed, resting her chin on her folded hands "and…And…What is the other's name?"

"I believe he said his name was 'Tobi'" Abir snorted,

"Ohhhhh. The puppy talks" Tobi bent down and jabbed Abir in the head, Abir growled and bit him "Owie! Deidara the puppy bit me!"

"Serves you right, un" the blond snapped, turning away from his partner his eyes landed on me and he smirked "well…Hello there!" I rolled my eyes,

"I would be quite grateful, Deidara, if you would not attempt to hit on my Captains" Tusunde sighed, Deidara snorted "now we can do this the easy way, or the hard way. Which will you choose?"

"Which involves what, un?" he asked, Tobi whined in the background about his hand hurting and Ginna smacked over the back of the head,

"The easy way includes you telling me everything you know about the Akatsuki, the hard way includes torture until you tell"

"What happens afterwards?" the older man smirked,

"That depends on how well you co-operate" Tusunde said, her amber coloured eyes narrowing,

"Does the torture include her in a tight leather outfit and a whip, un?" Deidara asked, jerking his head in my direction, I growled and slapped him "ohhh. I like 'em feisty! Un" this rewarded him with another slap on the other cheek "don't say you didn't enjoy the image as much as I did, un"

"Pervert" I snarled, he grinned, Ginna grabbed him by his hair and shook him,

"Don't speak to Captain Akina in such an un-respectful manner!" Deidara hissed and Tobi had finally silenced himself, Ginna dragged the two Akatsuki closer to Tusunde,

"Well. What will it be?" Tusunde asked,

"My lips are sealed, un"

"And you?" Tusunde looked at Tobi, who crossed his arms,

"If Deidara refuses to speak…Then so shall Tobi. For Tobi is a good boy!"

"So we've heard" Abir sighed, I jabbed him in the side with my foot,

"Be quiet" I hissed,

"Take them to the cells in the east wing of the Anbu Tower" the Hokage snarled,

"Ahem" Abir coughed "you can't do that!"

"Why not?" Ginna asked, his hand gripping the doorknob,

I dropped the clipboard on Tusunde's desk "I need you to sign for permission to **rebuild** the east wing of the Anbu Building?"

"Why does it need rebuilding?"

"Because you destroyed it in a fit of rage last week"

"Ah…I remember…I was so wasted" as she said this the older woman took another gulp of her Sake, I rolled my eyes "do you want some?" she held out the bottle to me,

"No"

"Don't tell me you're still on that whole 'I don't drink cause I'm underage' thing" the blond chuckled,

"I **am** underage"

"By what? A few months"

"By four years!" I sighed, tapping the clipboard,

"Oh my God…You're only sixteen?"

"Seventeen. For God sakes your maths is terrible when your drunk!" I heard Ginna sigh from behind us,

"I'm not drunk" the blond protested "I'm just **slightly** above the recommended daily amount"

"Meaning you're drunk" I snapped "now sign the damn clipboard so I can leave!"

"How old did you say you were dear?" Tusunde asked, eyes unfocused as she reached for the clipboard,

"Seventeen" I said, through gritted teeth,

"And still no boyfriend?"

Ginna and I groaned "not this again"

"I'm telling you Akina, it's not healthy for a girl your age to be single. You need to get laid"

From behind me I heard Deidara mutter "I'll volunteer" I turned and punched him on the jaw, he groaned and fell back on his ass, I turned back to Tusunde,

"Just sign the **God damn clipboard**"I snarled, Tusunde laughed,

"But seriouly Akina, why don't you date?"

"Because all the men I know are dicks!"

"What about Gaara? He's very mature for his age!"

"Why are we discusing this whilst two Akatsuki are three feet away?"

"Our thoughts exactly!" Abir and Ginna said,

Tusunde blinked, and glanced at the two criminals standing behind me, next to Ginna "is that who they are? I thought they were salesmen!"

I let out a yell of frustration and tugged at my hair, causing most of it to fall out of the tight bun I'd tied it up in "YES THEY ARE AKATSUKI. YOU WANT TO LOCK THEM UP BUT YOU TRASHED THE CELLS IN THE ANBU TOWER. NOW SIGN THE FUCKING CLIPBOARD SO THAT I CAN LEAVE!" I took a string of deep breaths and glared at the Hokage,

"Okay, okay. No need to yell" Tusunde giggled, slapping her hand over her desk in search of a pen "oh bugger. Akina give me that pencil you're always using to tie your hair back"

I sighed and pulled the wooden object from my bun, my hair floated down my back in a wavy mass until it reached my hips, I handed the pencil to the drunken Hokage, who took it gratefully and scribbled her name along the dotted line "thank you" I groaned before handing the clipboard to Abir "take it to Konai" he nodded and jumped out the window in the direction of the Tower.

"What about Neji?"

"I'm leaving!" I snarled.

* * *

I waited outside the acadamy for my younger sister Chika, she should be coming out any minute now, I glanced at my watch. Three minutes to three. I slumped down on the swing and sighed. Remembering when I was once a student here. Five years ago. Before all the crap started and we all drifted apart. Before sound attacked us. Before Sasuke left. Back when we were all close and nothing could, or would, break us apart.

The bell rang and the children flooded out, running towards the warm embrace of their mothers or fathers. I saw a flash of pinky-purple before my my twelve year old sister dived into my arms. I chuckled and ruffled her hair. In one months time she would take her graduation exam and become a Genin, she giggled and followed me back towards our flat near the centre of the village.

It was modern, not too big and not too small, there was a small living room with a conjoined kitchen, and two small bedrooms with a bathroom connecting them, our mother and father had died in a mission about three years ago. Leaving me to look after and care for Chika, it's difficult, especially since I'm the Captain of a Niju Shotai team. Talk about work!

Chika rushed to her room, I smiled, she was off to practice her jutsu's, she would go far. I wasn't half as dedicated as she is; in-fact, I still can't do the walking on water jutsu!

Turning on the T.V I strolled towards the kitchen to begin on dinner. A small smiled painted on my face.

* * *

Rose: Review please!


	2. One Escapes One Betrays

* * *

Rose: Second chapter! Hope you enjoy,

Disclaimer: First chapter.

* * *

A week later and the east wing of the Anbu Tower East Wing was almost finished. For the past seven days the Akatsuki had been kept in the Hokage Tower basement, held with chakra draining chains and with a constant guard.

Today they would be moved to some of the completed cells, and I was to watch over the transportation. Like cattle the pair were chained up and forced into a cart. The blond kept spitting out snide remarks whilst the masked one kept screaming "TOBI IS A GOOD BOY!"

Whilst overseeing the movement, Naruto had come sprinting up, upon seeing me he burst out laughing and rolled on the floor for a full five minutes pointing at my hair. I soon lost patience with the Chunin and kicked him upside the head,

"I was ambushed at the hot-springs by the girls alright?"

"Okay, okay" he giggled "so what's all this about?" he motioned towards the cart,

"Just a simple transportation of some prisoners" I nodded curtly at the driver, who continued to steer the horses towards the Tower, Naruto and I followed close behind,

"Are they restrained?"

"Yeah" I sighed,

"Who are they?"

"No-one important" I said, we'd been given direct orders by Tusunde not to reveal the identity of the prisoners, Naruto grinned, he was up to something…

"Akinnnaaaa!" he chanted,

"Naaaaruuuuto!"

"Akinnnaaaa!" he began to jab me in the shoulder, I pulled out a Kunai and held it next to his finger,

"Do that one more time and I'll cut off those pretty, feminine fingers of yours" I sighed, not looking up from my clipboard,

"No don't! I need them for jutsu's…And they aren't feminine!" the blond argued,

"Sure they…Are you wearing nail varnish?" I dropped the Kunai and grabbed the boy's wrist, closely inspecting his nails,

"It's **buff**" Naruto yanked him arm back and hid his hands under his armpits "which is what I am!" he quickly added, my eyes widened,

"Oh my God, they got you too didn't they?"

"Sooo…Wanna get some Raman later?" he asked, his eyes glancing around nervously, I sighed, obviously this conversation was over,

"I'll see if I can get off early"

"Great, I'll see ya then, and if you see Sai tell him he still owes me some money!" Naruto waved and laughed, turning around to do only what he himself knows,

"Hey, why'd we get moved without even getting breakfast, un?" Deidara's voice shouted from inside the cart,

"Cause we wanted to get you out of the Hokage Tower as quickly as possible" I replied, glancing down at my clipboard again,

"Tobi is hungry Deidara!"

"You'll get to eat once we reach the Tower" the driver grunted,

"What happens then, un?"

"You'll wait until we decide a date for your torturing" I sniffed,

"Will you be doing the torturing? Un" I could almost see the dreamy look on the blonds face as he imagined me wearing something indecent,

"No. I'm not trained in that area" I smirked at hearing the groan echo out from the cart, Tobi's voice followed soon after,

"Why is Deidara sad?"

"Cause the purple haired woman from before won't be wearing a sexy outfit whilst she whips me" Deidara whined,

"Why would Deidara want the pretty lady to whip him?"

"Cause he's sadistic!" I chuckled, Deidara grumbled and Tobi asked what sadistic meant.

* * *

Turning the key in the lock I trapped Deidara in one of the cells as far away from Tobi's as possible, there was no way we were letting them plot anything, the chakra draining chains vanished and he smirked,

"Don't get too happy, the walls of the cell suppress chakra. You can't do anything" his smirk vanished and was replaced by a heated glare "I'll be back tomorrow" he moved closer to the bars and gripped them tightly, his eyes washed over my form "I don't know what you're looking at, the uniform hides it all" his eyes snapped up to meet my face,

"Not all" he smirked "gotta love that ass! Un" I threw my arm forwards in a punch, he jumped back and caught my wrist, my eyes widened "some Anbu Captain **you** are" he pressed his lips to my knuckles, I snarled and whipped my fingers out, catching his chin with my long nails, he jumped and rubbed the scratch "ow, that stings, un"

"Disgusting pervert" I hissed, he puckered his lips in a mock kiss, I turned on my heels and stalked out of the room, I heard his whistle echo around the cells,

"Damn that's a nice view! Un"

* * *

Later that day I'd changed out of my Anbu uniform and into a pair of light, breathable shorts and a tank top, today was one of those days where it was so hot water evaporated right in-front of your eyes. Naruto was seated at the Raman stand, his pants rolled up and his jacket discarded on the floor by his feet; I took a seat next to him,

"You know I only eat this stuff for your sake right?" I asked, breaking my chopsticks and digging in to the pork noodles which the blond had ordered for me,

"I know. And I'm glad you do" he grinned, noodles stuck between the gaps in his teeth, I shook my head and laughed. I hadn't had any fun in a while.

"How's your sister?" Naruto stopped shovelling the noodles into his mouth long enough to speak,

"She's fine; her exam is in three weeks"

"Think she'll pass?"

"I know she'll pass, she's much better than I was at her age"

"And yet you still made Anbu Captain. How the hell did that happen?"

"That's exactly what Sakura asks" I laughed, lifting my bowl and drinking the remains of my meal,

"At the rate she's going she end up taking your spot"

"Not gonna happen" I chuckled, the captains of the Niju Shotai are the most respected Ninja in Konoha. And each one is just as important as the last, it was my job to fill in documents involving the Anbu Tower and I oversaw everything that happened to prisoners.

The Niju Shotai is an Anbu organisation that Tusunde herself created, it was made especially for tracking down and capturing Akatsuki members, the force consists of twenty squads of four man teams.

The Niju Shotai wear usual Anbu uniform (a tight, long sleeved black shirt with connected fingerless gloves, tight black pants with grey shin guards, grey body armour, grey arm guards and grey ninja sandals) and have coloured ribbons tied around their upper arms, one ribbon on the right arm for each squad member, whilst the Captain has two ribbons on their left arm. A different colour for each squad. Squad one, my squad, is white.

Naruto finished his meal and ordered up another round. I glanced at the clock on the wall, I had thirty minutes. Another bowl wouldn't hurt…

"Captain!" oh crap. Spoke to soon.

I stood up to greet the Anbu who had called me; glancing at the blue ribbon tied around their right arm I could see it was Squad three,

"Yes"

"There is a problem with the prisoner in cell block D" I though for a moment and groaned, that was the blond,

"Is it life or death?"

"Most likely, he appears to have gotten his hands on something explosive"

"Oh for the love of God" I sighed "Naruto I'll see you later" I turned and followed the Squad three man back towards the tower,

* * *

"Stay back, un! Or I'll blow this place apart!"

"What is going on?" I shouted; storming into the cell block, a few of the other Captains behind me, the blond was surrounded by Anbu members from different Squads

"The prisoner has gotten his hands on some explosive clay"

"We don't know what to do"

"It's enough to blow up half the village"

"How did he get it?" another captain asked,

"We don't know. We searched him thoroughly" Konai said, Konai was a member of my squad, he has bright blue hair and grey eyes, he's very friendly and hardly ever loses his temper,

I pushed my way through the Anbu until I was face to face with Deidara; he was being restrained by three Anbu from Squad seven "how the hell did you get explosive clay?"

"Nice legs, un"

I slapped him and he spat up some blood "answer the question"

"I hid it"

"Where?"

"Somewhere private, un"

"Your crotch" I stated, he grinned and waggled his eyebrows,

"That's disgusting" someone else commented,

"Be quiet" Konai snapped, silence followed, I turned back to Deidara who was staring innocently at me

"How did you get out of your cell?"

"You should know better than to lock an S-Class missing Nin in something as simple as a lock and key cell, un"

"You unlocked it?"

"Yep, un"

"Who was watching him when this happened?" I turned around to look at the other squad members,

"Squad twelve" Konai replied,

"Where is Mina?"

"We don't know. Her and her Squad disappeared soon after the alarm was sounded"

"You" I pointed to a Squad twenty Anbu "find Mina and her Squad. You" I pointed to one of my own squad members "get Tusunde" they nodded and disappeared "and you" I turned to Deidara, hands on hips "are going back in the cell"

He raised his eyebrows and held up his hand, a mouth opened up and its tongue lashed around lazily, the Anbu attempting to restrain him pressed Kunai into his neck "wanna make me? Un"

"You blow that clay, you'll die as-well" Aldo said, Aldo is the Captain of Squad five and a good friend of mine, he's the oldest Captain out of all of us, fifty-five. But he has not lost his ability to fight,

"That's the point; un" Deidara chirped "art is a blast"

"Your partner will be killed"

"He's not my partner, he just gets in the way" the blond snarled,

"Let's meet halfway" Kahn stepped forwards, Kahn was my previous mentor and the captain of Squad two, Kahn has short, spiked up black hair and blue eyes, his orange ribbons glistened in the light "what will it take to make you drop the clay and get back in the cell?"

"Dunno, un"

"Food, clean clothes?"

"Art supplies? Un"

"If you think you're getting any more clay-"

"Who said anything about clay? Un, I want some paints. Charcoals. Oil pastels, anything. Give 'em to me and I'll get back in the cell. I'll even give you some Akatsuki secrets"

"Get him what he wants" Kahn ordered, a few of the Anbu squad members grumbled slightly before vanishing, leaving only the captains behind,

"Now get in the cell" Kenna snapped, grabbing Deidara by his hair, Kenna was captain of Squad twenty, his ribbons are red, and it reflects onto his short temper,

"When I get my supplies, un"

"Don't do anything that will make him go back on his word" I cut in "he's about to betray his organisation, he could very well do the same to us"

Kenna growled "fuck the supplies. He's going in the cell" dragging the Iwa Nin by his hair he tossed Deidara into the cell, slamming the door shut and locking it,

"Ow, un"

"What did you call me for?" Mina, Captain of Squad twelve, strolled into the cell block, she was tall, with big brown eyes and dark pink hair, not like Sakura's pretty pastel pink at all, Mina is curvy with large breasts and wide hips, her Squad colour is pink.

"Where were you when the alarm was sounded?" Kahn asked,

"I was on my break. Squad one was supposed to take over" Mina smirked at me,

"At four" I corrected, smirking back, Mina scowled,

"With all due respect Mina" Aldo cut in "Tusunde will hear of this"

Mina crossed her arms under her breasts, plumping them up "I don't see what the problem is. He didn't escape"

"But he almost blew up half the village. And his partner-" Lune suddenly looked very grave "oh no"

"What? Lune what is it?" Kahn asked, stepping forwards,

"His partner. My Squad, Squad eight, was guarding him when the alarm was sounded"

"Tobi's good at unlocking things" Deidara said, picking at his nails,

"Quickly, everyone to cell block B. Akina, stay here and guard him" Kahn ordered, I nodded and glanced back at Deidara who was leaning against the wall, everyone filtered out, leaving me and the Iwa Nin alone,

"You're a piece of art, you know? Un" I turned and raised my eyebrows at the older man,

"And you're an idiot 'un'" I snorted, crossing my arms "and how would you know what art is?"

His eyes narrowed "because I am an artist"

"And what is art then?" I moved to stand in-front of him, hands on hips,

"Art is a bang!" he raised his palm so I could see the mouth "something you see for merely a second before it's gone. So intensifying that it leaves an imprint on your mind for the rest of your live"

"Give me the clay" I held out my hand,

"Let me paint you"

I snorted "as if"

"Let me paint you or I won't give you the clay"

"Fine" I sighed, he smirked and dropped the clay into my palm "all of it"

"That **is** all of it" he smirked "unless you want to search me, un"

"Not capable of searching yourself? Or are you so tiny you can't remember which lump is your dick?"

The blonde's eyes darkened "If you want to see it that badly I'd be glad to show you just how 'tiny' I am"

I smiled cheekily and stuck my tongue out at him "awww, is the baby upset"

"Trust me Kunoichi, don't piss me off"

I chuckled "it's hard to be scared of a man behind bars"

* * *

Rose: Chapter 2, REVIEW PLEASE!


	3. Paint runs thin

Rose: Chapter 3

Rose: Chapter 3. I can't think of anything witty or funny, so, meh!

Disclaimer: First chapter.

* * *

I groaned and rolled over in my bed. Because of that idiot Deidara, I didn't get home until midnight.

"_I hate you" I glared at the blond behind the bars; he paid no attention and continued to inspect the paints he'd been given "I was supposed to pick up my sister at three. But you tried to escape, and then your little friend gets out. So now, whilst everyone else tries to track him down. I'm stuck here babysitting a bastard"_

"_What background do you want? Un"_

_I jumped and turned to the blond, he was holding a tray of watercolours in his hand "I don't care"_

"_A forest? Un"_

_I sighed "I don't care!"_

_He grinned "forest it is"_

Then of course Tusunde came storming in, took one look at Deidara and his paints and instantly blamed me.

"_Akina! What did you do?"_

_"**I** didn't do anything. Mina left her post and the prisoner almost escaped" I argued,_

"_Then why is there a big commotion upstairs?"_

_"His partner escaped" I sighed "I was ordered by Kahn to stay behind and guard him" I jerked a thumb behind me towards Deidara,_

"_Where is…Why does he have paints?" Deidara quickly herded the paints into his arms, as if fearing Tusunde would take them away,_

_"He promised to give us some Akatsuki secrets if we gave him art supplies" I explained, Tusunde rubbed her chin for a moment,_

"_Is he fully restrained now?"_

"_Yeah. The Ninja who brought him the paints forced him to wear gloves and chained his wrists together"_

"_Can I have some paper? Un" Deidara's voice interrupted our conversation,_

_"When we're ready" I snapped, Deidara's eyes narrowed and he fell back against the wall, arms crossed and the paints in his lap,_

"_Which Squad is supposed to be watching him?"_

"_Mine. The rest of my Squad should arrive any minute now"_

"_Very well. I'll leave you too it then"_

"_Yes Ma'am" I nodded, Tusunde turned on her heel and strolled out of the cell block,_

"_Are you ready now? Un"_

_I groaned._

Rolling onto my stomach, I glanced at the clock on my bedside table, 2:30am, bloody bastard. Of course his fricking partner escaped without a hitch. And everyone blamed Mina.

I sighed and sat up before running a hand through my hair. I needed a snack.

* * *

"Lean your head to the left a little, un" I was sitting on a stool outside of Deidara's cell, I huffed and crossed my arms, his eyes flashed with something and he grinned "never mind, that's perfect" he dipped the brush into the paint and swept it across the paper.

"Why is he painting you?" Momo asked, Momo is a tall, well build woman with blond hair and green eyes, rumour has she has a thing for Konai,

"He wouldn't give me the clay otherwise" I sighed,

"Be quiet. You're disturbing me, un"

"Jerk" I breathed,

Konai and Momo sniggered quietly, I shot them each a heated glare; they pursed their lips, but still continued to shake with laughter.

* * *

"Finished, un"

"Thank God" I sighed, jumping up and rubbing my butt "my ass fell asleep"

"Aww. Poor Captain" Konai ruffled my hair, I slapped his hand away,

"Don't joke or you're on paper duty for the rest of the year" I snapped, Konai gulped and Momo giggled,

"If I'd had a better light source it would have come out better" Deidara passed the paper through the bars of his cell, Konai and Momo looked over my shoulders at the painting,

It was just me on the stool, but it looked so lifelike you'd think it was a photo; you could see the annoyance and fury in my eyes clear as day, my jaw dropped. It was actually **good**!

"Like it? Un" I ripped my eyes from the painting and glanced up at the smirking blond,

"It's…Okay" I said, trying not to boost his already inflated ego "better than most things I've seen" I handed it back to him, he took it, that obnoxious smirk still in place,

"When I get back to Akatsuki I'm gonna tell Master Sasori all about you, un. He'll find it amazing that someone actually likes my art"

"You won't be going back to Akatsuki" Momo said, not facing the blond,

"Not after those secrets you told us" Konai added, Deidara continued to smirk, I narrow my eyes, he was far too confidant…

"Besides, they don't even know where you are" Momo continued,

"It's been a day since Tobi escaped. He'll be half way home by now, un"

"Hey. Fatty" the four of us looked towards the entrance of the cell block, Sai was strolling towards us "you got a message from the academy, something about your sister"

"You know it's rude to call people names right?" I raised my eyebrows,

"What names?" I shook my head,

"Never mind. Will you two be alright?"

"Yeah. We get off in half an hour anyway" Momo grinned,

"Thanks. Oh, by the way Sai" the older teen looked down at me "Naruto said you still owe him some money" I walked around the Root member smiling lightly,

* * *

"So as you can see Akina. This is very serious" Iruka explained,

"Come now Iruka, I did worse when I was her age. A fight every week at the least! Surely you can let her off. Just this once?" Iruka sighed "was it really that bad?"

"When you were her age, you never resorted to using highly advanced jutsu's. Where did see learn them?"

"I may have taught her a few"

"May have?"

"Okay. I taught her nearly all the advanced jutsu's she uses"

"Nearly all?"

"Alright. Alright. I taught them all to her! Ya happy now?"

Iruka sighed and I could see a vein bulging on his forehead. That was never a good sign "Akina, I understand it's probably not very easy looking after your sister alone whilst also trying to juggle the responsibilities of an Anbu Squad Caption. But I think it's rubbing off onto Chika"

"What do you mean 'Rubbing off'?"

"I mean, without someone there all the time, she's finding it difficult to cope, I've seen it happen to a lot of children"

"You know I can't-"

"I know. I know. I'm just saying. Maybe you should spend more time with her"

"Okay Iruka, if you think it'll work. I'll…Ask Tusunde for a break"

* * *

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" Tusunde screamed, slamming her hands onto the table, I didn't even flinch,

"Tusunde. Please listen to me-"

"No. You listen. We had two Akatsuki in our grasp, one has already escaped and you pick **now** to ask for a break?"

"I just think-"

"Dismissed"

"Tusunde-"

"DISMISSED!"

* * *

"Hey Chika" I greeted the younger girl as I entered our flat "heard you got in a fight. You okay?"

"I'm fine"

"Ya sure? You seem a little…"

"I'M FINE!"

"Okay, okay, no need to shout" I sighed "wanna learn a new jutsu?"

"No"

"Wanna eat ice cream for dinner?"

"No"

I thought for a moment "wanna go shopping for some new weapons?"

There was silence until…"okay"

I smiled "so how bout you tell me what happened?" I asked, wrapping an arm around my younger sister's shoulders,

* * *

"…And then she said that the blood meant I could never have babies. So I hit her"

I burst out laughing and pounded my hand on the table; other customers stared at me strangely, some even picked up their children and left,

"It's **not **funny" Chika whined,

I wiped a tear away from eye "I know, I know, it's just, that was such a silly thing to fight about"

"It was **not**!"

"Yes it was, so what happened after the fight"

"Iruka-Sensei took me to the nurse's office and she gave me this tissue pad thing to put in my underwear"

"I never thought I would be the one to tell you this Chik. I always thought it would be mum to have this talk with you. The blood doesn't mean you **can't** have children. It means you're **ready** to have children"

"What? But I'm only twelve!"

"You started earlier than me! It's called a period, it'll happen every month until you reach your sixties or something"

"What? Why?" Chika whined,

"Cause you're a girl, but don't worry, we got the good part"

"What'ya mean?"

"Boys end up waking up in the middle of the night with…Uh…Hehe"

"With what?"

"Uh…I'll tell you when you're older"

"No tell me now!"

"No"

"Please"

"No"

"Don't you feel pity for me? I mean, not knowing why boys are worst off and all that"

"I feel pity Chik, just not for you"

"Meanie"

"You know it" I ruffled her hair as we continued our shopping.

* * *

Rose: Chapter 3. WHOOP WHOOP!

REVIEW PLEASE!

About the boys being worse off thing. I'm a girl so I don't really know which gender is worse off. I've never experienced the 'other side'. But according to my boy mates. It's not fun waking up in the middle of the night with a hard on.


	4. The Ambush

Rose: Hello peoples! Did you like the last chapter? You did? Well then, hope you like this one as-well,

Disclaimer: First chapter.

* * *

"Akina?"

"Yeah Chik what is it?"

"Should I get more Kunai or more Sebon?"

"I'd go with the Kunai, better for close combat"

"Okay then" I watched as my sister gabbed ten of them and dumped them on the counter, the shopkeeper smiled at her, she smiled back and they began to chat, I glanced around the shop, thinking about everything and anything, mostly about the blond Akatsuki, Deidara…

"_You're a piece of art, you know? Un"_

His words burned in my memory and brought a blush to my face, no-one had ever said anything so flattering to me. He probably wasn't trying to complement me…But still-

"Akina?"

"Hmm?" I snapped back to reality and looked down; Chika was standing in-front of me holding a bag,

"I'm done"

"Ya sure? Want anything else?"

She shook her head "no, I'm okay"

"Wanna stop by the training grounds? See if anyone's there?"

"Yeah!" a great grin spread across her face and she grabbed my wrist to drag me down the street.

* * *

Chika had run off to meet with her friends as soon as the training grounds came into view, I walked off in search of someone I knew, and came across Naruto, Sakura and the others, one look at my hair and the ones who hadn't seen it before were on the ground pissing themselves,

"It's purple!" Kiba cried,

"That's priceless!" Choji added, Shino managed a quick chuckle and even **Neji **laughed. NEJI!

"Oh my God!" Naruto was clutching his stomach, I kicked him,

"You've seen it already!"

"I know, I just can't get over it"

"I let my guard down for three seconds…In a hot-spring…On home territory. And **this** is the result" I rubbed my temples, Hinata patted me on the shoulder,

"W…We only did it for a j…Joke" the others burst into a fit of giggles once again,

"One more chuckle out of any of you and you will pay" I growled,

They froze, none of them making a move…Then Naruto began giggling, I took off my arm guards and rolled up my sleeves,

"Run. And run fast" I warned, the eighteen year old blond took a step back, I took a step forwards "five…Four…Three…Two…ONE!" I drew a Kunai and leapt forwards, Naruto yelped and dived to the side, I followed close behind. He threw his leg out and I caught it in my hands, smirking, I pulled and threw him over my shoulder, he landed face down in the dirt,

He jumped up and spat out the small stones and pieces of earth that had become lodged in his mouth; pulling out a Kunai as-well we watched each other. I made the first move. Leaping into the air. He followed and the unmistakable sound of metal clashing echoed around the training grounds.

Skidding to a stop I turned and smirked, Naruto did the same "you always did have a way with empty threats" he chuckled, I shook my head,

"And you always did have a talent for making me use them" we clapped hands together and chuckled,

"Is it just me or have we never finished a fight?" Naruto asked,

"I was just thinking that. Tell ya what; Three weeks from now, after Chika's exams. We'll have a real fight. One with a winner"

"You're on!"

I glanced over Naruto's shoulder to see Chika sprinting towards us, I refastened my arm guards "I'll see you guys later" I waved to them and turned to Chika "did you have fun?"

"Yeah" she grinned; I smiled and wrapped my arm around her shoulders.

* * *

"Akina calm down" I glanced at Ino sitting on the park bench with me, eating an ice-cream,

"Yeah, you're acting like a parent. I'm sure she'll do fine. After all, she's better than all of us put together when we were her age" Sakura added,

"Yeah, yeah" I sighed, leaning my head back "I'm paranoid, I get it!"

The girls laughed "yeah, you are!" Tenten giggled

"I'm gonna go home, I need a shower" I grinned, standing up and dumping my cone in a nearby trashcan,

"W…What a w…Waste" Hinata sighed, smiling,

"See ya tomorrow, we're gonna go shopping for Hinata's date" Ino teased,

"With Na-Ru-To!" Sakura sang, Hinata blushed a deep crimson,

"I'll meet you here then?" they nodded; I smiled and turned around, heading in the direction of home.

* * *

I sighed as the warm water rushed over my body, running my hands through my hair I washed out the rest of the shampoo and leaned against the tiled wall, listening to Abir read off of his clipboard as he sat on my toilet,

"Have you finished the report on that retrieval mission last month? Tusunde was asking about it the earlier"

"It's on the kitchen counter" I shouted over the running water,

"What about that file? The one about rebuilding the East Wing of the Anbu Tower, does she have a copy of that?"

"Yeah, I gave it to her last week"

"I think that's all for now"

"Good" I sighed, stepping out of the shower and wrapping a fluffy white towel around my form, twisting my hair, I squeezed the water from it, glancing in the mirror I chuckled at my reflection, the purple hair dye was beginning to grow out, revealing my white coloured roots.

"You're becoming Snow-Top again" Abir grinned "a few more months and you can't tell me off for calling you it"

"I can still tell you off" I informed, walking into my room, it was our parent's old room. But when they died we'd thrown out all their furniture and belongings, not wanting to be reminded of them and I'd moved out of the room Chika and I shared, the walls where a cream colour and a floor was a dark coloured wood covered with a white shaggy rug, the bed was tucked away into the corner, my desk and my wardrobe were pressed against the wall next to the bathroom, leaving the rest of the room free.

I dropped the towel and rooted around in my wardrobe for something to wear, Abir seemed undeterred by my nakedness and jumped on my bed, waiting for me to finish,

I pulled on a tight long sleeve white shirt and a pair of loose fitting violet coloured pants, strapping a Kunai pouch around my leg, I motioned for Abir to follow me, he hopped off the bed and trotted along beside me, his clipboard rattling, I tied my hair back using a pencil, as usual,

"Can you take the report to Tusunde for me?" I asked, opening the door, the small Houkou nodded and turned towards the kitchen "when you're done you can go back to the Summon Village"

"Got it"

Locking the door behind me I strolled down the stairs and out onto the street, glancing at my watch as I went, I still had an hour until I had to pick up Chika and I wasn't needed at the Anbu Tower.

Glancing up and down he street, I groaned in boredom. There was nothing to do. I wanted three 'o' clock to roll around quickly but it's just like when you look forward to your birthday, and time just seems to slow down and then you feel like it's-

**BANG!**

An explosion echoed around the village causing the ground to shake beneath my feet. It came from the direction of the Kohona Gates! Screams vibrated off of buildings as people started to panic,

"Fuck!" I cursed, running in the direction of the Anbu Tower. They'd finally come for him. And we couldn't let that happen!

"Guardian of the Forest…ABIR!" I shouted, pressing my palms together, after the green smoke cleared Abir was running alongside me,

"What is it?" he growled,

"Warn the rest of my squad. Tell them to guard Deidara with their lives. Don't let him escape"

"Got it" he jumped onto a rooftop and sped away, I pressed my palms together again,

"Summon Anbu disguise!" in a flurry of white flower petals my Anbu mask, with the image of a dog engraved on it, appeared on my face, concealing my identity,

Another explosion sounded, this time on the other side of the village, I paused and my eyes widened. That was the direction of the academy!

"Chika!" I cried, everything seemed to move in slow motion, the people around me running in different directions to get to safety, and I was frozen in place, my mind arguing with my heart to leave my sister in the hands of her teachers. I was needed someplace else. The school would have been alerted already. Meaning the students would be evacuated. They would be safe. Biting my lip I forced myself to continue towards the Anbu Tower. My Squad needed me more than Chika.

"Akina!" Momo was waiting in the Anbu training grounds around the back of the tower,

"What's the situation?" I asked, stopping in-front of the older woman,

"The prisoner. He…He escaped. We got your message but we couldn't reach him in time"

"Who was guarding him?"

"Squad five"

"Aldo's Squad?"

Momo nodded behind her mask, a cat "another member of the Akatsuki, a hunched over old man who controlled these…Puppet like things, burst in and broke the prisoner out. Aldo and his Squad were rushed to hospital, they were heading south"

"Where's the rest of the Squad?"

"I don't know, we got separated when the old man attacked"

"Fuck. Come on. We're heading after them" I turned and headed south, Momo close behind me.

* * *

I dodged another kick from the blond and dived towards him, a Kunai in hand, he leapt to the side and grabbed my wrist, his mouth-hand sunk its teeth into my flesh and the Kunai fell from my hand "shit"

"A lady really shouldn't swear, un" he smirked and kicked me in the stomach, sending me flying back into a building, I coughed up some blood. Unfortunately I was still wearing my mask, Deidara appeared in-front of me and pulled me up by the front of my shirt "unless she's in the throws of pleasure!" he licked his lips, I growled and swung my leg out, I felt it connect with his side and he dropped me, his eyes flashed dangerously.

Glancing over towards Momo I saw her lying on the ground motionless, my eyes widened,

"Momo!" I tried to run around the blond but he stuck his arm out to block me,

"She's as good as dead, un"

"Not if I can help it!" I threw a punch to his head but a wooden hand latched onto my wrist and I dropped to my knees when pain surged through my body, letting out a scream I saw dark spots cloud my vision,

_No. Must stay awake…Must stay awake! I have to get help! Momo!_

My breathing became shallow and wheezy as my lungs began to stop taking in as much oxygen,

_No! Where's…That…Kunai?_

My fingers twitched and groped the ground in-front of me, finally they connected with something cold and metallic, Deidara and the old man were arguing too much to pay attention to me, curling my fingers around the cool metal I jabbed it into my thigh, waking me from my trance, struggling to my knees, I glanced up at the two men, they had their backs to me, I caught snippets of their conversation,

"Why can't I-"

"There is no way-"

"I don't care, I-"

"Forget it Deidara-"

"What about-"

"Leader would never allow-"

I took a deep breath and sprinted in the direction I was facing. I think it was west. I heard Deidara shout something and the old man cursed, their chakra flared and followed after me, I stumbled around a corner and collapsed against a tree, it wasn't until my eyes focused that I realised I was in-front of the academy,

"Chika" I mumbled, falling to my knees and coughing up more blood, it stuck to the inside of my mask and coated my chin and lips; I leaned forwards and supported myself on my hands, panting.

_Crap. I'm gonna throw up...What's wrong with me?_

I felt someone press their hands on my shoulders "Akina? Oh Akina are you alright?"

I managed to lift my head long enough to see the bright blue eyes of my sister "Chika? Run quickly, get away from here. Akatsuki!"

"Don't worry, I'll protect you. I'm a Genin now" I felt her lay me back on the grass; I smiled at the word 'Genin'. She did pass…

_Why isn't she with the rest of the students?_

"No. Stop!" I mumbled, she didn't hear me and continued to unclasp my mask, as she began to pull it away the familiar whistle of a Kunai reached my ears. They'd found me.

Footsteps followed, then a flash of black and red before a squeal of pain, my protective instincts kicked in and I leapt up to fight…

…Or tried.

My body wouldn't move. I couldn't even speak.

_What the hell did that guy do to me?_

I heard a body hit the floor and a familiar chuckle "A Genin against an Akatsuki is like a rat against a bulldog. Hopeless, un"

My mask was pulled away from my face and blood dribbled out of the corner of my mouth, Deidara picked me up and wrapped his arms around my waist, my head fell onto his shoulder and I could only give a small whine of protest as his arm slipped under my knees to carry me properly. He turned and walked back to his partner, the masked man from before, Tobi, had appeared and was standing close by,

"See, Tobi told Deidara so. Tobi told Deidara he would get Deidara out, didn't he? Yes he did and…Ohhhhh! What is Deidara gonna do with the pretty purple haired lady?"

Deidara shifted me so my head slid from his shoulder to rest on his bicep, my eyes wouldn't close so I was forced to look into his bright blue one "make her mine, un"

* * *

Rose: Dun, dun, dun…!

Come on. Tell me what you think!


	5. Capture

Rose: Okay, this is the chapter I had in my mind the entire time I was writing this, so you better like it or I'm gonna cry!

Disclaimer: No. See chapter one, see my other stories, just…No.

* * *

Everything hurt. My lungs burned every-time I drew in breath. I couldn't move, and even if I could I couldn't go anywhere, my ankles were chained to the floor and my wrists were being suspended above me by a chain connected to the ceiling.

There was someone else in the cell with me. I could hear them breathing, I could feel their chakra. But I couldn't turn my head to look. I couldn't even blink, my eyes remained half closed whilst I stared straight ahead towards the cell door.

Two tears fell from my eyes. The tables had turned. I was now the prisoner. Deidara had locked me away just as I had done to him. But he'd gone one step further, where as I'd given him free rein to walk and move around, he'd chained me up as if I was nothing more than an animal.

Footsteps echoed around me as someone approached, my eyes moved from the floor to focus on the blond bastard unlocking the cell door, in his hand was some sort of vial with an amber coloured liquid, I felt panic rising from inside me. He was going to finished me off!

He must have sensed it, because he chuckled and stuffed the vial into his cloak pocket,

"Scared? Un" the only thing that came from my mouth was a pathetic whimper, his grin stretched across his face, it was then I noticed he had some sort of machine across his left eye "you can't move can you? I told Sasori he used too much poison, un, but as usual he didn't listen to me" I gave another whimper as more tears fell from my eyes, he reached up and wiped them away with his thumb "oh don't worry, un, it's not a killing poison. It's just a paralysis serum, he injected it into you using that puppet during our fight so you wouldn't struggle when I brought you back with me"

I tried to move away from the hand that was tracing my face, pain shot through my body and I cried violently, it was the worse thing I'd ever felt. It was like someone was constantly jabbing me with white hot pokers.

"I suppose you'll want the antidote then? Un" Deidara asked, pulling the vial from his pocket and tossing it up into the air and catching it again "aw. Don't cry pretty Petal, it ruins you, un. Here, I'll make it **all** better" he pulled the lid from the vial, revealing a sharp, shiny needle.

Panic rose once again as I thought of the pain I was going to receive, he tilted my head to the side and brushed my hair out of the way, I whimpered as the muscles in my neck burned again,

Deidara leaned forwards and pressed his lips to the junction of my neck and shoulder, before pulling back and replacing them with the needle, I cried out as it broke the skin, and my blood burned as the antidote merged with it. Deidara pulled the needle out and licked the area that stung "that antidote will take an hour to kick in. I'll be back then, un"

He reached up and unlocked the chains holding the shackles on my wrists; I slumped to the ground, my legs too weak to support me. He unlocked the shackles around my ankles also before smirking down at me and walking away. Leaving the door wide open as he left. He was mocking me.

_Bastard._

* * *

I twitched my fingers and I sighed in relief when no pain followed.

_I can move._

My neck clicked when I tried to twist it.

_Almost._

I parted my lips and drew in breath "shit" I breathed,

"What did I say about swearing? Un" I rolled my eyes up to meet with Deidara's bright blue ones,

"Fuck…Off" I panted, he grinned and entered the cell, crouching down in-front of me,

"Can you move? Un"

"A bit" I mumbled,

"Hmmm" he grabbed my wrists and twisted them, I hissed in pain,

"Stop! Ahhhh, stop, it hurts"

"They look infected, un"

"Well stop moving them!" I cried, Deidara's eyes narrowed and he slammed my wrists into the wall, I screamed and my eyes watered,

"I see the poison hasn't completely worn off, un" he released my wrists and I sighed "what did I say about crying? Un" when I didn't answer he grabbed my wrists again and slammed them into the wall once more "well?"

"Not to do it" I sobbed, he smirked and licked away the tears that were dripping down my cheeks "stop" I mumbled,

"How did you ever become an Anbu captain? Un. You may act big and tough but beneath it all you're just as fragile and dainty as your namesake"

"Screw you"

"You could, un, but I think you're a little too weak to handle me right now" I sucked up as much saliva as I could and spat it at the obnoxious blond in-front of me, it landed on his cheek, he wiped it away and his expression darkened. His fingers curled around my throat as he lifted me up and slammed me into the wall, the mouth on his palm was licking and nipping at the sensitive skin, I gasped "then again, I have a bit of spare time on my hands right now, un" my eyes widened,

"Don't" I whispered, he smiled darkly and leaned in close,

"Don't what? Un"

I took a sharp intake of breath as his fingers fiddled with the hem of my pants "don't rape me" I felt the tears prick up again, Deidara chuckled and pressed his lips to my eyelids,

"Relax Petal, I wasn't going to rape you. There's nothing artistic about it, un" I breathed out a sigh of relief when Deidara's fingers moved away from my pants, and he released my throat, moving instead to pin my shoulders to the wall to keep me standing,

"Why am I here?" I mumbled, Deidara raised his eyebrows,

"Because I want you to be, un"

"Why?"

"I already told you, un, you're a piece of art. And I've decided that I want you to be mine" his fingers ran down my cheek before fingering a lock of hair,

"What do you mean. Yours? I don't belong to anyone!" I snapped, he grasped my chin tightly,

"You do, un. Say it. Say you're mine"

"Make me" I snapped, his face twisted into a sick grin,

"My pleasure" he (painfully) twisted my head to the left, my eyes widened, there, lying on the bed. Was Chika.

"What did you do to her?" I cried,

"**I** didn't do anything, un, Sasori is pumping a constant supply of poison into her body. Keeping her in that comatose state" my eyes swivelled around her motionless body, until I saw the drip injected into her arm "I thought you might say no, so I brought her along as-well. To…Convince you to see it my way, un"

I twisted my head out of his grasp "what do you mean 'convince'?" I breathed, my eyes still locked onto my helpless sister, Deidara slid his hands from my shoulders towards my hips and leaned into me, my breathing quickened as he buried his face into my shoulder,

"Guess, un" he breathed,

"You're going to kill her" I whispered, my voice cracking,

"You can save her, un" his thumbs began to rub small circles into my skin "just one little word that's all it takes, un, one word can save or destroy your sister. Just say it" he licked my earlobe and I whimpered,

"I don't want to. I want to go home"

"Let me spell it out for you Petal" Deidara whispered darkly "if you say 'no'. I'll kill you and your sister, un" my eyes widened "but if you say 'yes', your sister gets to go home. I'll even take her myself so as to make sure nothing happens to her, un"

"But I remain a prisoner. Don't I?"

"You won't be a prisoner" he breathed "you'll be my muse. The inspiration for my art"

"If I'm art…And art is only supposed to last a second, then why haven't you blown me up yet?" I whispered,

"You haven't left a mark in my mind yet, un. Every time I see you I see something new to appreciate and it inspires me to create something…So what will it be? Yes or No?".

* * *

I hugged my arms closer to myself and crushed my body into the corner. Deidara had left hours ago, taking with him my sister. I took a deep shuddering breath. Every part of my body ached from being held by those chains, before leaving, Deidara had bandaged my wrists and ankles, promising to be back in a few days. Until then, he'd ordered Tobi to watch over me.

The masked man had left after I'd finished my meal, even after being locked up by my village, the man still retained his cheery demeanour towards me. He spoke to me as if I was his friend, not his prisoner or his previous captor. I found that I quite liked Tobi. I could not say the same for Hidan.

The silver haired man had visited me whist Tobi was watching me eat, I didn't appreciate the way he leered at me. When I said this to him he'd simply grinned and said how Deidara was "fucking lucky to have a piece of ass like you" before walking off, I'd thrown my apple at him and when it connected with his head he turned and told (more like threatened) me never to go around without an escort. I snorted at him and he'd slouched off. Tobi following soon after I'd finished my meal.

I didn't have any other visitors until Deidara came back two days later. When he did I asked him why Akatsuki hadn't killed him for spilling their secrets, he replied, with a grin, that they were lies. Causing another part of my heart to break at the thought that everything that had happened, was for nothing.

* * *

"Untie your hair, un"

I glanced up from the book I was reading, Deidara had his easel set up in the centre of his room, I was sitting on his bed, back against the wall with my lower body under the covers, I shivered when another breeze blew in from the open window,

"I can't read when it's down" I sighed, fingering the end of the braid, which was half white and half purple "it gets in the way" Deidara raised an eyebrow at my reply "it does!"

"Okay, un" he chuckled, raising his hands in mock defence "I was just saying" he picked up his brush and began to paint me; I lowered my eyes back to the book he'd given me.

**Six months** had passed and I was still here. Deidara has sincerely tried to make me more comfortable. He showers me with gifts every chance he gets. At first I refused to accept them because they were stolen.

Eventually I had no choice but to accept them, about a month after my arrival my clothes had **mysteriously **disappeared, and I had a feeling that Deidara had put Tobi up to it, since Tobi took care of all the chores here, I was very irked to find that Tobi would avoid the subject if it ever arose. Leaving 'the mystery of the missing clothes' an unsolved case.

I heard Deidara chuckle "what're you thinking about? Un"

I ripped my eyes from the book to look up at the blond artist in-font of me "what makes you think I'm thinking of anything?"

"You bite your lip, un" he smirked, I raised my eyebrows and sighed,

"Are you finished yet?"

"No, un. Why'd you ask?"

"I'm cold. Next time you decide to get me a present make it a jumper or something. Or some pants!"

"Or I could just close the window for you, un"

"I like the pants idea better" I smirked,

"Well I don't, un. And since I'm in-charge I say 'no' to the pants. I love looking at your legs" as he said this I pulled the covers tighter around me,

"Yeah" I sighed "you and every other guy here" Deidara, finished with closing the window, snapped around to stare at me,

"What? Un" he took long strides and knelt down on the bed in-front of me, his voice was low and dangerous "what 'other guys'?"

"Okay, maybe it's not 'every' guy. Kisame has his moments and Hidan has his little nick-name for me. Tobi likes to shout out how nice I look and Zetsu is always saying 'I look tasty'. It's** perfectly** innocent"

Deidara's eyes flashed and he growled "if Hidan's involved it's not innocent. What does he call you? Un"

"You don't wanna hear it"

"Yes I do, un"

"**No**. You don't"

"**Yes** I do, un"

"No really, trust me Deidara. Just forget I said anything" I looked back at my book; Deidara ripped it from my hands and held it above his head, "Deidara! Give it back!" I jumped up and tried to grab it out of his hands, he wrapped his free arm around my waist and stood up, taking me with him, I tried to kick him, I hated it when he did this, it made me feel weak "Deidara, put me down!"

"Tell me the nick-name and I'll put you down, un"

"What about the book?" I asked, looking down at the blond, he grinned,

"Nice breasts" he pressed his lips to my cleavage, which was revealed by the low cut dress I was wearing, I flushed,

"D…Deidara! No stop! This isn't funny. Put me down and I'll tell you the nick-name. Forget the book" Deidara smiled innocently at me but pressed his lips to my cleavage again "no, stop!" I bit my lip, Deidara looked up at me and sighed, loosening his grip on my waist he gently lowered me back to the wooden floor, I jumped "oh. Cold floor!"

"Where're your shoes?"

"Well…There's one over there…And I…Don't know where the other one is. Hehe"

"Nick-name? Un"

"Are you sure you wanna hear it?" I asked,

_Oh please say no, please say no, please say…Oh who am I kidding?_

"Akina" I stiffened, if he was calling me by my name then he was serious,

I bit my lip "okay. But you asked for it…Hidan likes to call me 'A sexy piece of ass'"

I waited…

…And waited...

…And continued waiting…

…Then he exploded.

"He calls you **what**?" he snarled "stay here" he shoved the book into my hands and turned towards the door,

"No wait. Deidara" I turned to grab the blonds arm but he was already out the door "oh…This won't end well"

* * *

Rose: That's chapter five, did you like it? Did you love it? Did you hate it? Tell me please!


	6. Nannies and Nurses

Rose: Okay, continuing on with 'Muse'. Chapter 6,

Disclaimer: Nope!

* * *

Deidara may be an excellent painter and sculptor, but when it came to furniture arrangement a goldfish had more sense, his room was long and rectangular with light wood floors and walls, his bed was located directly behind the door with a chest of drawers filled with my clothes at the foot of it, his wardrobe was just to the right of the bathroom door, he has shelves dotted around his walls covered with small clay sculptures and his easel was directly in the centre with a small table next to it filled with paints and other art supplies,

I glanced at the clock sitting on the chest of drawers nervously, Deidara had been gone a while. It was light when he'd stormed off in search of Hidan. Now the sun was setting, I bit my lip.

I knew what would happen, Deidara would storm up to Hidan and start a verbal fight. Soon afterwards Hidan would loose his temper and attack Deidara. Deidara would counter attack-

An explosion in the distance confirmed my suspicions.

-Then they'd fight for who knows how long-

Another explosion.

-And someone would come out the winner.

I shivered. Hidan was strong, stronger than Deidara by far. Plus he was immortal. I kept expecting the silver haired sadist to break down the door, exclaim Deidara was dead and have his way with me. The thought made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end and I glanced around nervously in search of a weapon. I crept to the end of the bed and peeked underneath, Deidara usually hid things under it. Shoving a few boxes and a spare easel out the way my hand felt the cool metal of a Kunai…

"What is Deidara's Petal doing?"

I screamed and slipped onto the floor, I hated the fact that whilst I was here my chakra had been blocked off, I'd searched my body countless times looking for a seal but found none. This of course meant I couldn't sense when someone was coming, I couldn't fight because most of my attacks are chakra based and I **defiantly** couldn't escape.

"Tobi? You scared me" I breathed, climbing to my feet "I was looking for a weapon"

"You know you're not allowed those, Petal, un" I jumped when Deidara limped in; supported by Sasori. Sasori's a puppet expert, Deidara's partner, and a missing Nin from Suna. I didn't get to see him without his puppet shield, thing, until about two months after my arrival. When he walked in on Deidara painting me.

"Well excuse me for thinking you might have gotten yourself killed by Hidan. If it'd been him walking in just now I'd have needed to defend myself" I crossed my arms and huffed,

"Aw, is my pretty Petal worried about me? Un" I snorted,

"Not likely, I just prefer you to him"

"Isn't Deidara's Petal going to ask who won?" Tobi bounced in-front of me, Sasori dumped the blond on his bed none to gently, I looked at the red head,

"No-one won" he grunted "Leader broke it up. Not like Deidara would win anyway. Hidan can't die"

"He can still be blown to bits, un" Deidara argued "Petal can you heal me?"

"No chakra" I said shortly, glancing at my nails...Pervert.

"Just heal yourself" Sasori snapped,

"No chakra" the blond grinned, I sighed,

"Sasori?"

"Akina, you know I would...But right now I refuse to waste my chakra on this idiotic **fool**" Deidara glared up at his partner,

"Tobi be a dear and get me a bowl of warm water and a cloth please" the masked man saluted me,

"Anything for Deidara's Petal!" he quickly sprinted out the room, I sat on the bed next to the blond,

"You're an idiot" I sighed again "take off your cloak"

"My arm hurts, un" Deidara whined,

"Like hell it does!"

"No really, it does, un"

"You have another one don't you?" Deidara's smirk fell from his face and he unclasped his patterned cloak, grumbling as he did, Sasori watched, an amused smirk painted onto his face,

The cloak floated to the floor, leaving Deidara in his fishnet vest and undershirt, on his left arm was a long, deep looking slash, running from his shoulder to his elbow, his lip was swollen and bleeding, both his eyes were blackened, where the hell was his scope? And the fishnet on the lower part of his shirt of sticking to the large wound on his stomach; I guessed there was an injury on his leg also since he had been limping,

"The shirt as-well"

"Petal I don't think this is the time or place, un"

"Deidara" I smiled sweetly "unless you would like another injury to add to your lovely collection, I suggest you shut up and do as I say" Sasori chuckled,

"When a woman uses that tone of voice it's best to comply Deidara" Deidara huffed and lifted his shirt over his head, despite his line of work, Deidara still has fat on his body. Not much. But it's there, on his hips mostly and if you run your hand over the area under his bellybutton you'll feel it rise up. Deidara insisted there was no exercise known to man that would rid him of it,

His muscles also weren't as defined, they were noticeable enough to see but they weren't so chiselled that they looked like…Hidan's or something, like they were carved from marble. Deidara often got highly annoyed about this. Artists can be vain!

"Tobi got the water and the cloth!" Tobi bounced into the room, spilling some of the water as he did so,

"Tobi you bastard!" Deidara snarled "you better clean that up, un" Tobi ignored him and held the bowl out to me

"Thank you Tobi" I replied, taking it from him, Tobi fiddled with his fingers and muttered a "you're welcome" before standing next to Sasori, I dipped the cloth into the water, squeezed out the excess and pressed it lightly to the wound on Deidara's arm, he hissed and wrenched it away "oh don't be such a baby" I chuckled,

"It's **hurt's**! Un" he snapped, I gripped his arm lightly before pressing the cloth to it again, carefully wiping away the dirt and any other impurities,

"Be a man" Sasori snorted "you've had worse"

"Do you have any disinfectant?" I asked, glancing up at the two men watching the scene between Deidara and I,

"Probably, did you need some?"

"Yeah, it's deep. And some bandages if you would"

"Of course" Sasori slouched out of the room in search of the required items, Tobi stayed motionless,

"Tobi clean up the water, un" Deidara ordered,

"Manners Deidara, manners" I chirped, dipping the cloth back in the water and wringing it out, Deidara sighed through his teeth,

"Tobi clean up the water **please**,un" Tobi glanced between the blond man and I "NOW!" Tobi yelped and grabbed the towel off Deidara's easel,

"Deidara I need you to lay down" I stated "Tobi, could you use the towels in the bathroom? That one is covered in paint" Tobi nodded and threw the dripping towel back over the easel whist I helped Deidara to lay on his back; taking a seat next to him I pressed the cloth to the wound on his stomach, his back arched "don't do that" I ordered softly "you'll make it worse"

"It's a reflex, un" he clenched his eyes shut,

"I couldn't find any disinfectant" Sasori had reappeared,

"Do you have the bandages? Un. I don't fancy bleeding to death" said item connected with the blonds head "ow!"

"Thanks Sasori" I smiled at the red head "don't worry about the disinfectant, his chakra should be replenished by tomorrow"

"He just hit me! Un" Deidara whined, waving the bandages around with his good arm, I snatched them off him,

"You deserved it" Sasori snapped, I shook my head and sighed, wrapping the bandages around Deidara's arm whilst he and his partner bickered,

"Tobi cleaned up the water!"

"What do you want? Un. A fucking medal?"

"Deidara!" I cried, lightly slapping him on the head with the cloth before turning to Tobi who appeared to be very upset, his feet were curled inwards and his hands were hidden behind his back, he looked like a child who'd just been scolded "thank you Tobi" the masked man perked up,

"Does Deidara's Petal need anything else?"

"No I'm good" I finished wrapping Deidara's arm "you need to sit up again"

"Make up your mind, un" Deidara sighed, I rolled my eyes and glanced at Sasori, who smirked and chuckled silently. I unrolled more of the bandages secured them tightly around his stomach,

"You and your damn male pride" I muttered,

"I had to defend your honour, un" the blond smirked,

"You couldn't have** defended** my **honour** verbally?" I asked, raising my eyebrows, Deidara chuckled,

"Where's the fun in that? Un"

"I never said it was fun. But if it happens again you're bandaging your own wounds" I picked up the cloth from the now cold water and dabbed his lip, wiping away the crusted blood,

"It won't happen again, un. If you think I'm in bad shape then you should see Hidan"

"What does he look like?"

"Brilliant. There isn't a scratch on him" Sasori stated, I covered my mouth to stifle my giggles, Deidara growled,

"I told you to lie, un"

"It'd be rude to lie to such a charming woman" I smiled up at Sasori, giggling every so often,

"Leg?" I chuckled, removing my hand from my mouth,

"Just a twisted ankle, I'll be fine, un" Deidara grumbled, I nodded,

Someone knocked on the door a few times before pushing it open, Zetsu ducked down to avoid hitting the doorframe "Tobi, I am in need of your assistance"

"Yes Master Zetsu!" Tobi cheered,

"Hello Zetsu" I smiled, picking up the bowl of blood dyed water; he smiled back, showing all his pointed teeth,

"Hello Akina, you look absolutely _**ravishing**_ in that dress" I laughed nervously,

"Thank…You?"

The two toned Grass Nin nodded and motioned for Tobi to follow him, Sasori sighed "if you need nothing else, I shall take my leave"

"It's okay, thanks for helping" I grinned, moving towards the bathroom to dispose of the dirty water, the ex-Suna Nin nodded and retired, I poured the bowls contents down the sink and rested it on the counter, upon entering the bedroom once more I saw Deidara rummaging though his wardrobe "I just cleaned and wrapped those. You're going to re-open them!" the blond looked up and grinned,

"I want to go to bed, un"

"It's eight 'o' clock" I rolled my eyes and cleaned up the bandages and Deidara's blood stained clothes,

"And? Un, I just spend the last hour battling with an immortal freak, if I want to sleep then I'm going to"

"Just try not to roll onto your left side. You'll reopen the wound" I stated, medical knowledge wasn't my forte, but I'd learned all the basic skills from Sakura, something I knew was that you shouldn't do is put pressure on a recently bandaged wound, Deidara appeared behind me and slid his arm around my shoulders,

"Join me? Un"

"Just because you're tired doesn't mean I am. Besides. **I **just spent the last thirty minutes being your nurse, I need a bath"

Deidara groaned as I took my leave.

* * *

"Wake up, un"

I moaned and buried my face into my pillow, Deidara jabbed me in the shoulder, I squatted him away "shoo fly. Don't bother me"

"If you don't wake up I'll be forced to take drastic action, un"

"Go away!"

"Fine, un"

He pressed his hand to my bare thigh and I felt the tongue flick out, my eyes snapped open and I leapt away, pressing my back into the wall, Deidara was lying on the other side of the bed, looking up at me "pervert" I hissed, he grinned,

"I warned you, un" I rolled my eyes and glanced around the room, it was still dark! I groaned and leaned my head back against the wall,

"It's still dark out" I mumbled, rubbing my eyes "what time is it?"

"Ten to six. And it's not dark the sun is rising! Un"

"Why are you up so early?" I yawned,

Deidara forced himself to sit up, supporting himself with his right arm "I'm hungry, un"

"What does that have to do with me?" I crossed my arms,

"You said last night you were my nurse, un. So start nursing!"

I huffed and climbed over the blond's legs, he always made me sleep on the inside in-case he had any early missions or got back late "first I'm a muse, now I'm a damn nurse. What next? Nanny?"

"Wouldn't you be considered a mother? Un" I twisted my head round to stare at him, eyes wide and mouth agape,

"What?"

"When we have kids then you'd be their mother, un, isn't a Nanny where you look after someone else's kids?"

"What do you mean 'when we have kids'?" I snapped, crossing my arms and glaring down at the blond as best I could in the minimal light, Deidara raised his eyebrows,

"Well…It's bound to hap-"

"Like hell it is!" I hissed, stalking out of the room and towards the kitchen.

* * *

Rose: Hehe, I had fun writing this, next chapter up soon!


	7. In the Garden

Rose: Next chapter of Muse, please review, I love hearing what you think about it. But no Flames!

Disclaimer: I only own the plot!

I just heard Deidara's English voice! I don't know about you but it rocks! It's AXEL'S voice!

* * *

"Perverted, idiotic, sexist, big mouthed-" I grumbled as I buttered some toast, and lay some cereal and fruit on a tray, shivering slightly in my night gown,

"What's wrong with you?"

I jumped and spun around to see Itachi Uchiha standing in the doorway, I rested my hand on my heart "please don't do that!"

"You didn't answer my question?" he strolled closer and plucked the apple I was holding from my grasp,

"Hey! Give that…Oh forget it. I'm not in the mood" I turned my back on the older man and continued to fix breakfast for Deidara; despite what everyone back in Konoha said about Itachi being a cold blooded killer, I found him to be a good listener and giver of advice,

"Period?" well, most of the time he is. I flushed red at Itachi's comment and turned back to face him, arms crossed,

"Why is it every time I'm upset you people always think it's because of my period?"

"Is it?" the Uchiha took a bite of the apple he'd stolen from me,

"No! Just Deidara being an idiot"

"As per usual" Itachi stated "is that why you're up so early?"

"He's hungry" I said shortly "and since he's decided I'm his nurse because he got into a fight yesterday, I have to get him his damn breakfast! Jerk" I breathed as an afterthought "and that was before the kids comment!"

"Kids?"

"Oh yes" I mocked enthusiasm "he **discreetly **dropped the hint that he would like kids. But enough about me, why're you up this early?"

"Training"

"At six?"

"Yes" I raised my eyebrows and grinned inwardly,

_This'll teach him!_

"Want some coffee?"

"Don't you have to take Deidara his breakfast?" like Itachi cared about him, everyone knew they despised each other, something about Itachi beating Deidara in a fight once,

I smiled up at the dark haired man "he's a big boy, he can wait!"

Itachi chuckled "black, no sugar"

* * *

"Hello small person!" Kisame ruffled my hair, I slapped his hand away "where's everyone's favourite explosives expert?"

"Lying in bed wondering where his breakfast has been for the past hour" I said, anger radiating off me in waves,

"Uh oh…distressed female currently on her period in the kitchen! I'll warn the others" the blue skinned man grinned and made a hasty escape,

"HEY!" I yelled after him "you come back here you…Oh who am I kidding? He ain't coming back" Itachi shook his head lightly and rested his cup on the table,

"I'm behind on my training. Thank you for the coffee, I will see you later"

I grinned and picked up the breakfast tray I'd prepared earlier "see ya"

As I carefully strolled back to Deidara's room, trying (and failing) not to spill the milk, I saw Tobi exiting it, a pile of clothes in his arms "good morning Tobi" I greeted,

"Good morning Deidara's Petal!" he chirped "does Deidara's Petal want Tobi to open the door for her?" I chuckled,

"Would you?"

"Of course Tobi would"

I raised my eyebrows as Tobi struggled to open the door and keep the clothes in his arms "just drop them Tobi, they're dirty anyway" Tobi looked from the clothes to me before dumping them on the ground and opening the bedroom door, bowing as he did so, I shook my head, giggling "you're crazy"

Tobi waved frantically at me before picking up the clothes and sprinting away, I entered the room to the sound of snoring; glancing behind the door I saw Deidara sprawled out across the double bed in his shirt and underwear, the covers kicked to the floor.

I sighed and dumped the tray of food on the chest of drawers before sitting on the bed next to the blond, I reached my hand out and jabbed him on the shoulder, just above the chest-mouth "Deidara?" he groaned and rolled onto his stomach, his eyes snapped open and he jumped up clutching the bandaged area, eyes squeezed shut and teeth clenched,

"Ow!" I raised my eyebrows,

"Are you okay?" he nodded "is your chakra back?"

"What? Oh…Yeah" he pressed his palm to the wound on his stomach, I watched his hands glow green as the area healed itself,

"I have breakfast!" I chirped happily, Deidara glared at me,

"You went for that over an hour ago! Un"

"I know. Consider it payback for waking **me** up before the sun was" I picked up the tray again, Deidara leaned against the headboard, healing his arm, I lay his breakfast across his lap, he moved his glowing hand to his mouth and eyes,

"What happened to your scope?" I asked as he picked up his, now cold, toast,

"Lost it during the fight. I'll find it later, un"

I sighed and rolled my eyes, reaching over I stole a cherry from the bowl, Deidara growled "what? I'm hungry too ya know" I dropped the small berry in my mouth and chewed for a bit before spitting the stone into my palm,

"You had a whole hour to get your breakfast, un, what took you so long to me mine?"

I shrugged "met up with Itachi, got talking…Blah, blah, blah" the older mans eyes narrowed when I mentioned Itachi's name, he mumbled something under his breath, I smirked when I heard the words 'Itachi, bastard, my muse and stay away'

_Serves you right!_

"From now on you don't leave this room before seven, un" Deidara bit into an orange, I leaned over and flicked his nose, grabbing another cherry as I did so,

"Aw. Why's that? I thought I was your nurse" Deidara simply grunted, and mumbled something about "weird people wondering around" I sighed and stood up, walking towards the chest of drawers to find something to wear,

Deidara picked the tray up and placed it beside him before standing up and strolling over to me; he rested his chin on my shoulder and breathed in "you smell like mint, un"

"Uh…Thanks" I said, still rummaging through the drawers, I felt a tug at my hair and the next thing I knew it was loose, curling slightly because of the amount of time it'd remained in the braid, Deidara ran his fingers through the tresses and kissed my neck,

"I like it better down, un" he stated, I pulled out a lilac coloured, knee length sundress before quickly walking towards the bathroom to change. Eagar to get away from Deidara's touch as it sent shivers down my spine…And I wasn't sure if it was good or bad!

* * *

I sighed and closed my eyes, leaning against the trunk of the great oak. Deidara was next to me, sketchbook in hand and for once it wasn't me his artistic flair was focused on. We were in the 'backyard' of the Akatsuki hideout, the entire place was covered in flowers and trees courtesy of Zetsu, the man had a gift and he liked to flaunt it!

There was also a small pond with lily-pads floating across its glassy surface, Tobi had mentioned he'd seen some frogs, and he was currently holding a jar whilst crouching down, tapping the water with a biscuit he was holding in his fingers chanting "here froggy, froggy. Tobi won't hurt you, he just wants a nice froggy to play with" I glanced at Deidara's sketch, and smiled, he was drawing the scene in-front of him,

A frog leapt out of the water and landed on a lily-pad, Tobi yelled in delight and dived forwards, Deidara and I watched in shock as the masked man emerged from the water, crawled onto the bank and crossed his arms, sulking like a child. Deidara burst out laughing; he dropped his sketchbook and fell over clutching his sides, I even saw the sparkle of tears,

"Tobi!" he cried "you're brilliant, un, I take back every bad thing I ever said about you!"

I climbed to my feet and approached the now dripping man, he looked up when I sat down next to him, "me and my friends used to catch frogs all the time when we were kids" I stated "first of all, you'll need a bigger jar, better yet. A bucket" Tobi nodded and quickly ran off, he returned a few minutes later, a silver bucket in his arms,

"Now what does Tobi do?"

"Wait until one of them comes up for air, then gently stroke the underside of its chin, it might take a while but it should crawl onto your hand"

Tobi resumed his previous position, head almost level with the water and his butt high in air, I shook my head but I was smiling, I glanced back at Deidara who'd stopped laughing when I'd started helping the man, he was sitting cross-legged, resting his chin on his hand and watching us with an amused expression, I waved at him, his eyes widened and he glanced around before blinking and jerkily waving back,

"Oh, oh!" I turned back to Tobi "a froggy, a froggy…Uh…What does Tobi do again?"

"Stroke it under its chin" Tobi dipped his hands into the pond water and rubbed the frog lightly "keep your palm flat" I instructed, Tobi did as I told him, after a few minutes the frog cautiously crawled onto his hand, he lifted it up and curled his fingers around the creature "not so tight Tobi, you'll hurt it" I lay my hands over Tobi's gloved ones and loosened his fingers slightly,

"But…The froggy will hop away if Tobi does not hold it tightly!" I picked up the bucket Tobi had brought earlier; dipping it in the pond I filled it by about an inch and held it out to him,

"Put the frog in here, it'll be safe and then you can play with it" Tobi hugged the frog to his chest before carefully placing it in the bucket, he pulled another biscuit from his pocket and jabbed the frog with it,

"Is froggy hungry?" he asked,

"I take back what I took back about you Tobi, un" the two of us glanced up to see Deidara standing over us with his arms crossed "frogs don't eat chocolate biscuits, un, they eat slugs, worms, snails and insects"

"But where is Tobi going to get those?" Tobi whined,

"Try digging in the dirt, un"

"Deidara's Petal must look after Tobi's froggy while he goes and gets it something to eat!" Tobi thrust the bucket into my arms before jumping to his feet and sprinting off,

"Tobi I don't think that's such a good idea!" I shouted, but he was already out of earshot "Zetsu won't be happy when he finds his flower beds ruined"

"I know, un" Deidara grinned and sat down in the space Tobi had previously occupied, I gaped at him,

"Deidara! He'll be killed!"

"Zetsu won't kill him, un. Just…Maim him a little" I shook my head at the blond,

"Deidara" I sighed, minutes passed and then…

"_**Tobi I will murder you. How dare you do that do my garden!**_"

"You were saying?" I sighed,

"Tobi just wanted to get food for his froggy! TOBI IS A GOOD BOY" we looked up to see Zetsu stalking Tobi across the garden,

"I can't watch" I quickly covered my eyes with my hands,

"I can, un" Deidara chuckled,

"Deidara's Petal, please help Tobi!" I moved my hands away from my face just in time to see Tobi take cover behind me, he wrapped his arms around my waist and buried his mask covered face between my shoulder blades,

"Tobi get the fuck away from her! Un"

"Now Zetsu!" I raised hands in defence as Zetsu reached us "if you want to blame someone then you can blame me" Zetsu snarled and I took it as a sign to continue "I helped him catch the frog. If I hadn't of done that then he wouldn't have gone looking for something in which to feed it. I'm really, really sorry. I'll replant every flower he pulled up. I promise!" Zetsu growled, his golden eyes narrowing,

"And Tobi will help!" Tobi peeked over my shoulder nervously,

"Fine" he sighed, teeth still clenched "Tobi. You're very lucky I'm in a good mood today. I'll see the two of you tomorrow" with that said, the Grass Nin turned and stalked off…Probably to find something, or someone, to eat.

"Is Tobi's froggy okay?" Tobi asked, crawling round to face Deidara and I,

"Yeah it's fine, see" I handed the bucket to him, he took it and squealed,

"Tobi got some worms for you froggy!" from out of his pocket he pulled a great handful of the slimy creatures, I shuddered "does Deidara's Petal want to feed froggy?" he held out the worms to me, I backed away slightly, careful not to fall into the pond,

"No thanks Tobi" I shook my head "it's your frog…You feed it" he nodded his head frantically and dumped them all in the bucket,

"Tobi, if you do that the frog will get **fat** and then you'll have to dig up more worms, un" Deidara sighed,

"Oh…Tobi doesn't want a fat froggy" Tobi reached around the bucket, picking up as many of the worms as he could "will Deidara's Petal hold these please?" before I could protest Tobi had, literally, chucked the worms into my lap, I screamed in shock and fell back, Deidara leapt forwards to try and grab me but missed, he and Tobi watched as I broke through the surface of the water, it wasn't very deep, only just reaching my waist as I emerged,

My sundress was sticking to me like a second skin, my hair was lank and coated in mud and one of my slippers was missing, Deidara quickly held out his hand to me, I took it, and coughed as he pulled me up from the water,

"Petal are you okay? Un" he took off his cloak and draped it over my shoulders and wrapped his arms around me in an attempt to warm me up,

"I'm fine" I coughed, pushing away from him "I just want to go have a nice, long, bath!" I stalked away from the two men, sliding open the door to the kitchen I met with the faces of many, currently poker playing, Akatsuki,

"What the hell happened to you?" Kisame was the first to speak when the initial shock had worn off,

"I fell in the pond" I stated shortly, pulling Deidara's cloak tighter around me and strolling towards his room,

"Hey, uh…You're dripping water everywhere!"

"I'LL CLEAN IT UP LATER!"

"She's on her period" Kakuzu stated "Kisame told me this morning"

As I reached Deidara's room an explosion shook the base.

* * *

Rose: Well, that was fun, what did you think? Be honest!


	8. WATER FIGHT!

Rose: Chapter 8…WHOOHOO!

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, but I do own the plot,

* * *

"Why is it when you actually want clouds there are never any around?" I asked, glancing at the two-toned man next to me,

Zetsu smiled "it's payback for yesterday"

We were replanting the flower patches Tobi had destroyed, but typically there wasn't a cloud in the sky and the sun was as its highest point, beating down on our backs. I wiped my forehead with the back of my hand, smearing my already filthy face with more dirt, my clothes were already coated in dirt and mud from earlier in the day, I'd refused to wear a dress while gardening and Deidara had relented, allowing me to wear a pair of his Akatsuki pants, which were so loose they were almost falling off my hips and one of his shirts which had slid off one shoulder, it was annoying me because I had to keep shifting it back on,

"I curse Summer time" I breathed, patting down the soil around a recently planted seed, Zetsu chuckled again and did the same, I glanced around "where did Tobi go?"

"I sent him to collect some water"

"But…We have a hose right over there!"

"I know"

"He was destroying more than he was fixing wasn't he?" I sighed "oh for God sakes, be two 'o' clock already!" I shouted up to the sky, Tobi came running out of the kitchen,

"Tobi got the watAHHH!"

"Ahhhh TOBI!"

Tobi tripped and the bucket flew from his hands, its contents emptying themselves over me and the soil, I glared up at him,

"Tobi is sorry!" he whined, crouching down and pressing his palms together as if praying, I groaned,

"It's okay, just be more careful next time" I wiped my face with my shirt and handed him the bucket,

"Tobi will be right back!" he picked up the bucket and sprinted back towards the kitchen, I sighed and planted another seed,

"What are the odds he does it again?" I asked, Zetsu glanced at me,

"Are you sure you want to know?"

I though for a moment "not really, no!" he chuckled again "hand me another packet please" I thanked him as he reached over to give me the seeds,

"Tobi got more watAHHH!"

"FOR GOD SAKES TOBI!"

He'd done it again!

"Tobi is sorry, Tobi is sorry, Tobi is sorry!" he cried,

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TRIPPING OVER?" I asked, rubbing the water from my eyes,

"Tobi doesn't know…But Tobi will not drop the water this time!" he grabbed the bucket and ran towards the kitchen for a third time, I stood up and moved to Zetsu's left side, he looked at me with raised eyebrows,

"Well you don't expect me to sit there and let it happen a third time do you?"

"_**So you're going to let me take the hit?**_" his dark side asked,

"Yesum!" I chirped, he sighed but didn't protest,

"Tobi got more watAHHH!"

Again!

"THREE TIMES TOBI. THREE GODDAMN TIMES!" I stood up and began advancing on the masked man, even in oversized clothes, bare feet and dripping wet, Tobi found me menacing!

"Tobi is sorry! He promises it won't happen again!" I began to roll up the sleeves of my shirt, Tobi held up his hands in defence "Tobi will make it up to Deidara's Petal, please don't kill Tobi!" he backed away,

"What's all the yelling about? Some of us are trying to relax!"

"PUT A SOCK IN IT KISAME!"

"Shit she's still on her period!" Kisame ran back into the kitchen, a few seconds later he and most of the other members of the organisation had vacated the kitchen to watch the scene between Tobi and me,

"Fifty yen says she kills him" Kakuzu flung his arm around Sasori's shoulders, the puppet man threw him off,

I grabbed the hose lying by the wall and pointed it at Tobi; he held his hands up in defence "Tobi said he was sorry!"

"Being equal makes the world go round!" I grunted, twisting the nozzle of the hose, water flew out and knocked Tobi backwards, he screamed and started running around the garden, the stream of water following close behind "take your punishment like a man Tobi!"

"Akina look out!" Sasori shouted, Itachi had just exited the kitchen and Tobi ran behind him, of course I didn't see until it was too late and no more than two seconds after I did…Itachi was soaked!

"Turn it off!" Kisame ordered,

"It's STUCK!" I screamed "Zetsu! The tap, the tap!" Zetsu rushed towards the tap on the side of the wall, the water slowly stopped, reducing itself to a miniscule drip, unfortunately Itachi now resembled a drowned rat, I laughed nervously when his sharingan flashed and he advanced towards me, I held up the hose again "Zetsu! THE TAP, THE TAP!"

"_**You just told me to turn it off**_"

"Well now I'm telling you to turn it back **on**"

Zetsu didn't make it in time, Itachi had reached me and knocked the hose from my hands, I gulped as he grabbed my wrists, I laughed nervously "you're gonna kill me aren't you?"

"No" he said shortly "I'm going to do something much worse"

"What's worse thAHHHH!" Itachi thrust me away from him, I fell backwards into a puddle of mud, created when Tobi repeatedly dropped the water, I gaped up at the smirking Uchiha "you are so **dead**!" I snarled whilst grabbing a handful of the substance I was currently seated in, I tossed it upwards towards Itachi's face, he dodged it and it hit Kisame, who then pulled out his sword and smashed the ground with it, spraying mud all over Sasori when I rolled out of the way, Sasori glared at the three of us in turn and summoned three of his puppets, making them throw a combination of mud, Sebon and Kunai at everyone,

Tobi and I dived behind a tree, Zetsu curled his venus around himself, Kakuzu sprinted back into the kitchen and Itachi and Kisame took cover high above the ground,

It was just bad luck when Deidara walked out. Tobi and I glanced at each other and I grinned, Kisame jumped down behind us chuckling,

"Why are you covered in mud? Un" Deidara approached Sasori,

The red head simply grunted and walked off with his puppets in his arms, Deidara stared after him just as I strolled out from behind my tree towards the blond,

"Hi" I chirped, stopping in-front of him, he grinned down at me,

"I was wondering where you were, un, you were supposed to meet me fif…Why are you covered in mud as-well?"

"I had fun!" I shrugged and he shook his head, sighing,

"That doesn't answer my question Petal, un"

"I know" I skipped around the blond, he watched me with a small smirk and raised eyebrows,

"What're you up to Petal? Un"

"What makes you think I'm up to something?" I stopped skipping when I was behind him, he sighed again,

"Petal" he warned, turning around, I giggled "I'm not going to ask again, un, why are you covered in mud?"

"You just asked again!" I pointed out and his eyes narrowed; from behind him I could see Kisame and Tobi sneaking towards the mud puddle, Zetsu had opened up his venus and returned to his garden and Itachi was leaning against the trunk of the tree he was sitting in, eyes closed,

"You're wet too, un"

"W…What?" I flushed, that comment caught me completely off guard,

"The shirt and pants I gave you are soaked, un, I didn't expect for you to keep those you know?" he tugged on my dripping sleeve causing my shoulder to become exposed again,

"Awww. But that's no fun!" I pouted up at the blond man, my eyes darted over to the duo who were giggling like maniacs whilst grabbing as much of the mud as they possibly could,

"What're you looking at? Un" my eyes snapped back to Deidara, I laughed nervously and rubbed the back of my head,

"Nothing!"

"Hmmm" Deidara shifted his upper body to look behind him, only to have a mud ball meet his face; I clasped both my hands over my mouth to stop myself from laughing, he removed his scope and wiped the mud away with his hand,

Another mud ball hit him, followed by three more, courtesy of Tobi, it was to much and I fell to my knees, letting my laughter go,

Deidara didn't get mad and start blowing everything up, instead he smirked down at me, I squeaked and tried to crawl away but he grabbed my arm and held me out in-front of him as a shield. Kisame grinned, his pointed teeth shining in the sun "uh…C'mon guys! I thought we were a te-" I stopped in mid-sentence when Kisame threw a mud ball that connected with my shoulder "KISAME!"

"What? I saw an opportunity and I grasped it!"

"Payback, un" Deidara giggled, I tugged away from him and turned around, standing so close to him that our toes were touching, I crossed my arms and he mimicked me, I glared at him and he glared back, granted it was fake, but he still did it.

Another mud ball hit him on the side of the head, then one hit me, we blinked at each other and turned to face Kisame and Tobi who were rolling on the ground laughing, I gaped at them "you traitors!" Deidara chuckled and I glared at him viciously, he recoiled slightly,

"You're on your period aren't you? Un"

"NO I AM NOT ON MY GOD DAMN PERIOD! CAN'T I BE MAD WITHOUT SOMEONE ASSUMING I'M HAVING 'WOMANLY' PROBLEMS?" I breathed deeply as Deidara, Kisame, Tobi, Zetsu and Itachi stared at me "MEN!" I threw my arms up and stormed back into the base, not missing the look Deidara gave me.

* * *

I reached Deidara's room and slammed the door behind me, men are hopeless when it comes to women, how come they're allowed a bad day and I'm not?

A few minutes later the blond man burst in and pinned me to the far wall, the force of it caused some of his clay sculptures to fall off the shelves and smash "what the…? Deidara!?"

"Shut up! Un" I blinked and he crashed his lips to mine, my eyes widened, sure he'd kissed me before, but it was always on the cheek or my neck, **never** on the lips! I opened my mouth to protest and he slipped his tongue inside, I pushed against his shoulders but he took my hands in his and pinned them beside my head, the mouths kissing my palms. He pulled back when we needed air and rested his forehead against mine, the metal of his headband cooling my skin, his sky blue eye boring into mine,

"I…You…Deidara?" I breathed,

"You" he started, I blinked "you're beautiful; you must have artist essence running through your veins un…I've never seen it expressed so vibrantly…I have to capture it!"

"What?"

"When you exploded back then, un, I felt something I've never felt before, I'm...Attracted to you in a whole new way" he pressed his body onto mine and I flushed a deep red,

"Oh…Uh…Deidara…I...Uh…I need a shower!" I said quickly,

"I have to sculpt you! Un" Deidara panted,

"O…Okay" I squeaked "but could you move away just a tad? I'm feeling a little… claustrophobic"

He kissed me again, one of his hands moved to the base of my neck and pressed my mouth harder onto his, his other one wrapped around my waist, he moaned and I felt a shiver run down my spine. I decided there and then that it was **not** a good feeling. His tongue ran along my bottom lip, asking for entrance which I gave him, only praying that he'd stop soon, eventually he pulled back and chuckled,

"I thought you wanted a shower, un" I gasped,

"I do" I whispered "but you-"

"However" he grinned, cutting me off "I'm going to shower **first,** un" I gaped up at him "and don't argue. I have something to take care of, un, and I'm not going to waste anymore time prolonging it!"

"But…" he pecked me on the lips to silence me,

"No buts either, un" he smirked and pulled away from me, stalking towards the bathroom, leaving me leaning against the wall with swollen lips and a shocked expression.

* * *

Rose: Hehe! Review please!


	9. Erotic Sculptures

Rose: CHAPTER 9!

Disclaimer: I'm not even going to bother,

I'm really on a role with this thing I can't stop updating it!

* * *

I awoke with a start the next morning when the sound of something dense and heavy hitting the floor echoed around the room, I immediately jumped into a crouching position with my fists clenched,

I blinked when I only saw Deidara and a large block of clay, it wasn't like his usual clay, it was proper sculpting clay. Like you would use for pottery or statues.

"What the hell Deidara?" I stared at him, eyes wide and mouth agape,

"Sorry, un, did I wake you?"

"No" I said sarcastically, he shook his head "what are you doing?"

"I said I was going to sculpt you, un" I slipped and fell off the bed in shock,

"I thought you meant a tiny little figurine, like those" I pointed towards his shelves "not a giant statue…Where did you get a block of clay **that** big?" I clambered to my feet and moved towards him, patting the clay block, it was bigger than I'd realised,

_How did it fit through the door?_

"I got up early, around four am, trekked to town and bought it, un, I thought we'd get an early start"

"Early is right" I crossed my arms and glared at him "it's sunrise!" I pointed outside where the sky was lit up with reds, pinks and yellows,

"With a block of clay this big we'll need all day, un" he wrapped his arm around my waist and hugged me to his body tightly "I know exactly what I want to do" he ran his hand across the surface of the earthy substance, when he pulled back I heard the tongue slurp noisily,

"What's that then?" I pushed against his chest lightly to create some space between us,

"You, on that pedestal over there, un, completely nude" his eyes glazed over with artistic inspiration, I gaped up at him,

"Hell no!" he raised his eyebrows at me,

"Yesterday you were all for it, un"

"I was **not** 'all for it'. And even if I was, I didn't agree to being naked in-front of a horny, bigmouthed-"

"I am not horny! Un" he protested,

"Right" I rolled my eyes "and your 'little friend' doesn't jump up at the thought of a naked woman in-front of you" a small pink tinge spread across Deidara's cheeks and nose,

"I'm a man! Un, it's natural!"

"I'll let you sculpt me, but I am not, repeat, NOT, doing it nude"

The blond chuckled "we'll see, un. Now go get washed up" he kissed me on the forehead and shoved me lightly towards the bathroom.

* * *

"Take it off! Un" Deidara ordered, glaring at me,

"No!" I hugged the sheet closer to my body, Deidara was a right little sneak, when I was bathing he'd stolen my nightdress and towel so I didn't have anything to change into,

In a fit of rage and annoyance I'd managed to find a thin white sheet in the airing cupboard in the bathroom, it barely covered anything so whilst I was sitting on the pedestal I'd bunched it up around the places I wanted covered the most, Deidara was not happy with the fact I was refusing to take it off,

"**Petal**" he growled "as beautiful as you look right now, un, if you don't take that sheet off willingly I will do it forcefully"

I glared at him "screw you Deidara, as I said before I never agreed to being nude. The sheet stays!"

He sighed and rubbed his face with his hand, then he froze and looked up at me grinning "fine, un, keep the sheet. I'll just use my imagination"

"Fine" I shrugged "I can see what you think of me" he scowled,

"C'mon, un, it's not like I haven't seen you before!"

"You** haven't** seen me before!" I snapped, and then a thought occurred to me "have you?"

"Y…No" he shook his head "I was hoping to confuse you so you'd drop the sheet" I raised my eyebrows at his slip up but disregarded it and turned on the pedestal so I was facing the window, the sun was completely up now, it must be around seven, Deidara sighed and I heard him approach me "Petal" he cooed, placed his hands over my bare shoulders, I flinched "please take the sheet off, un"

"No" I said again "either I get to keep the sheet or you don't sculpt me" he sighed and wrapped his arms around my waist, forcing me to lean back against him, I felt his breath on my ear,

"How about we meet halfway? Un"

I thought for a moment "continue"

"You can keep the sheet, un" I beamed "but I get to choose the position I sculpt you in" my smile quickly faded,

"Nothing rude or pervy!" I ordered, he chuckled and licked my neck,

"Of course not, un"

* * *

"Is it done yet?" I hugged the sheet higher up my chest, he growled and I resumed my previous position,

I was sitting on the pedestal with my legs bent to the side and my toes pointed in a feminine way, the sheet had been pushed up to the top of my thighs and my hands were clasped between my breasts, holding the sheet up to cover them but letting it fall down to bare my back, I felt exposed but I also felt…Sexy! The only drawback was the giddy looks the blond artist was giving me...

"Does it look done? Un" I shook my head and sighed, I wish I'd asked for a pillow, this pedestal was hard and my ass had totally fallen asleep,

Deidara had started with the feet and legs, scraping and smoothing the clay to give it form, I bit my lip as he began to shape one of the thighs, he was only moulding clay, there was nothing erotic about it but I still felt totally turned on!

_This can't be good!_

I wanted **so **badly to cross my legs but if I did Deidara would only make me move them back, I turned my head to look at the clock, it was now nine am and neither of us had eaten anything, as I was thinking this my stomach gave a loud growl, Deidara looked up in shock, I flushed;

"Can we stop for a bit?"

"No, un"

"Why?"

"Because if you move the creases in the sheet on your upper body won't fit together with the ones on your lower body, un, the whole thing will be ruined" I heard him mumble something afterwards which sounded a lot like "which wouldn't happen if you were naked, un"

"What if I have to go to the bathroom" I groaned

"You hold it, un" he shrugged, my stomach growled again "you're hungry, I'll go get something for you"

"But I can't move my arms!" I exclaimed, it took both of them to hold the sheet up,

"I'll feed you!" he was **way** to happy about this,

My lower half suddenly felt very warm and I gulped "n...no, I can wait a few more hours"

"No you can't, un, you're starving" he crossed his arms "I'll be right back. **Don't move**"

I sighed as he left the room, shutting the door behind him. He returned a few minutes later with a tray of fruit, I watched as he balanced the tray on one hand and held up the food with the other, he tapped my lips with the strawberry and I slowly parted them, allowing him to push the fruit into my mouth, I moaned when I bit down into it and the flavour spread across my tongue and down my throat,

He picked up another one and continued to feed me, I felt so embarrassed, letting him do this with that stupid grin in place, but having food in my stomach felt so good I didn't care,

"Better? Un"

I nodded and licked my lips of the juice; he grinned and set the tray down on the bed before stalking back to the clay block to continue his work.

* * *

Deidara had finished the legs and had moved on to the stomach and the beginnings to the sheet, the warm feeling I'd experienced earlier had gone so I was much more comfortable, apart from my butt being asleep and all…

"DEIDARA!" I yelped as Tobi burst through the door, he stopped in his tracks when he saw me on the pedestal wearing a sheet and Deidara close by with the block of clay "oh are you two doing the nasty? Cause from Tobi's angle this looks a lot like one of Kisames videos that he-"

"Tobi" Deidara growled "get out!"

"But-"

"OUT!"

Tobi squeaked and ran out the room, Deidara sighed and continued to sculpt the clay. I suddenly felt very violated,

"Uh…Deidara-" I was cut off when the door burst open again, this time Kisame and Sasori stood in the threshold,

"What the hell…Is…Tobi…So that's what he meant!" Kisame laughed, pointing at me "he ran into the living room screaming that you were 'doing the nasty' and we thought you were…You know, having sex"

"No, **you **thought they were having sex, you just dragged me along for back-up!" Sasori protested,

"And you just burst in? Un, what if we really were having sex?" Deidara glared at the two men, or the one man and the puppet!

"You wouldn't have been having sex" Sasori said calmly "Akina has more sense than that" I giggled as Deidara fumed,

Tobi suddenly pushed in-between Sasori and Kisame and began to whine "Tobi has a problem!"

"Let's hear it!" Kisame sighed,

"Tobi's pants feel really tight and he doesn't know why because they fit fine this morning…Do you think they shrunk while Tobi was wearing them?"

We all stared in shock at the masked man's comment and my face burned red; Deidara thrust his hands into the pouches strapped to his hips "RUN TOBI!" I screamed,

"KATSU!" Deidara yelled, throwing a handful of birds in Tobi's direction "how dare you think that way about **my **Petal! Un" Tobi began running around the room and out of the door screaming:

"DON'T HURT TOBI!"

Deidara turned back to the statue and continued to mould it; I froze in place, scared of pushing the already pissed blond artist even further,

"Why the sudden interest in creating a statue?" Sasori asked "I thought your art was fleeting!"

"It is. But I had a burst of inspiration, un"

"Why is Akina wearing a sheet?"

"Because she refused to take it off, un"

"And now you know why!" I explained, jerking my head in the direction of the door, Deidara grunted and motioned for the visitors to leave,

"She's embarrassed, un"

"You think? My dignity is being shielded by nothing more than a sheet!" I screamed, Kisame and Sasori jumped and quickly left, shutting the door behind them, Deidara raised his eyebrows and smirked at me "Shut up and sculpt!" I ordered, he chuckled and continued his work.

* * *

It was nearing Sunset when Deidara had completed a majority of the statue,

"Only the face to go, un" I looked up to see Deidara was staring at me,

"Thank you God" I sighed; Deidara stopped sculpting to fidget with a piece of clay, his lips moved as if talking to someone "Deidara?" he snapped his head up to look at me "I thought you were going to finish it" he blinked, and then a wide grin stretched onto his face and he began to stalk towards me "uh…Deidara? Deidara what're you-"

He kissed me.

He pinned me to his body using his arms and began to suck, nip, lick and bite my lips, even after I opened them for him.

_STOP! STOP PLEASE!_

He moved his lips down my neck, licking and nipping as he went, I panicked as the warm feeling returned "Deidara-" I whined; I didn't get a chance to continue because he reattached his lips to mine. I caved in defeat while moaning and he pulled back and stared at me,

My lips were swollen, my eyes were half lidded and my face held a dazed expression, he nodded and returned to the statue.

* * *

"You're a pervert" I snapped as I looked upon the finished statue, his right arm was wrapped around me and he rubbed the knuckles of his left across his chest,

"I know, un" he pressed his lips to my forehead "but how else was I supposed to get that look on your face?"

"You could have just fed me some chocolate" I shrugged, trying not to look at the statue; I couldn't believe a look that…Erotic! Could have been made by me,

The blond chuckled "I could have, but my way was much more fun, un" I grunted and pushed away from him before walking towards the chest of drawers to find some **real** clothes,

"Pervert" I grumbled again,

The warm feeling was back.

* * *

Rose: Ohhhhh. Akina got turned on by Deidara! What will she do now? I know….But you don't! HAHAHA!

Review please!


	10. Conflict

Rose: Chapter 10 of Muse!

Disclaimer: No,

* * *

Days turned to weeks and soon another two months had passed, the statue had begun to flake away at a rapid pace, leaving clay particles all over the floor much to my annoyance. It's **not** fun having to walk through them to get to the bathroom in bare feet, especially if it's 3 in the morning and you're half asleep. But Deidara refuses to clean them up, insisting they're part of 'the art'.

Speaking of the blond haired ex-Rock Nin, since Tobi's…Pant's problem, I'd come to notice that Deidara had become…Clingy and possibly possessive of me.

I'm not talking about regular clingy, I'm talking Deidara clingy. He won't let me leave his sight without giving me a kiss and he'd taken it upon himself to crush me against his chest at night.

At this moment I was leaning against the headboard, my legs were bent and I was resting my book on them, Deidara was lying next to me; his head was resting on the pillow and he was smiling up at me whilst running the backs of his fingers up and down my arm,

"You'll hurt your eyes, un"

"There's no proof that reading for long periods ruins your eyes. Sakura told me so"

"What would she know? Un"

"She's a Medic-Nin" I sighed, shrugging him off me, he moved his hand away only to have it play with the ends of my hair, I tugged it away from him and threw it over my shoulder, he sighed and dropped his arm,

"Come to bed, un"

"I'm in bed" I snapped, turning the page of my book,

"You know what I mean, un"

"I'm not tired yet" I mumbled, Deidara sat up and wrapped his arm around my shoulders, pulling me down to rest against him, my eyes didn't flicker from the object in my hands,

"Is that the book I gave you? Un" he asked, his breath hot on the top of my head,

"One of them" I didn't argue when he plucked the book from my hands to read the cover,

"Oh, I know this one, un, have you got to the part where they-"

"Have sex? Yes and I skipped it"

"And here I thought it would get you in the mood, un" I rolled my eyes as he grinned down at me,

"Can I have it back please?" I reached across his chest to take back the book but he stretched his arm out to its fullest "Deidara" I sighed, giving up and slumping across his lap, he chuckled and tossed the book to the other side of the room, he took me by the arms and lay me back on the bed before getting up and turning off the light,

I turned my back to him as he crawled in next to me, and kicked him away when he tried to embrace me "what's with you? Un"

"A better question would be 'what's with **you**?' you've become so clingy lately, you're acting like a child who doesn't want to leave his mother" he didn't answer and I didn't bother to deny him when he curled around me, and when he kissed my shoulder I knew the conversation was over…Before it had even started!

"Do you know what tomorrow is? Un" I squirmed as his hot breath brushed past my ear, he held me tighter "stop moving"

"Move your arms!" I ordered, he kissed my shoulder again and twisted my body around so my chest was pressed against his, he moved one arm to wrap around my waist and the other around my shoulders so my head was forced to lay on his,

"Happy? Un"

"I suppose" I mumbled,

"Good, now then, un, do you know what tomorrow is?" he asked again,

"October 17th" I sighed, he buried his nose into my hair,

"Do you know why it's special? Un"

"Nope" I chirped, twisting in his arms so my back was facing him again, I heard him grumble in annoyance; I rolled my eyes "what's tomorrow?"

"My birthday, un"

"You should have told me, I would have made Tobi take me into town to get you something" I said, closing my eyes, I couldn't go get my book so I might as-well try to sleep,

"You don't have to get me anything, un" he chuckled "although I was hoping for a little…" the arm that was wrapped around my waist began to move south, I slapped him away "ow. What was that for? Un"

"You know what it was for" I snapped, turning around I shoved him away from me and grabbed my pillow "I'm sleeping in Tobi's room!" I climbed over him,

He jumped up and grabbed my wrist "you can't leave, un! You're mine!" he tried to pull me back into the bed,

"Let GO!" I tugged away from him; he growled and tugged back, gripping my wrist so tight I thought it might break "and I'm not yours!" I snapped,

He stood up and glared at me, I bit my lip and forced myself to look into his eyes "**you are mine**, un" he snarled "you said so yourself!" I felt the tears well up in my eyes; he looked exactly how he did back in the cell eight months ago when he threatened to rape me…

"I…I didn't have a choice!"

"Yes you did, un. And you chose **me**" I blinked and a few tears dripped down my cheeks, I sniffed before collapsing to my knees, Deidara released his hold on me and let me fall, I buried my face into my pillow and sobbed quietly,

I felt him grip my shoulder, I flinched and he drew back as if he'd been burned, in the end he chose to just stand there watching me, I could feel his gaze on me. Never wavering. Eventually my sobs subsided into gentle hiccups and I let Deidara pull me up into his arms,

He whispered soothing words into my ear and rubbed my back, I dropped the pillow and wound my fingers into his shirt, gripping it tightly; he slipped one arm under my legs and tried to put me back in the bed, I jumped in shock,

"NO! DON'T TOUCH ME!"

"Petal calm down, un"

"NO, GET AWAY FROM ME" I burst into tears again as he dodged my kicks and punches and pinned me beneath him,

"What brought all this on, huh?" he asked, I turned my head away and took deep shaky breaths "c'mon Petal, you can tell me, un"

"I want to home" I sobbed, he sighed,

"Not this again, un. We've had this argument countless times, your home is with me. Forever"

"No, I want to go back to my real home, back to my sister and my friends"

"What did I just say? Un"

"I don't care" I sniffed "I want to go back to Konoha, and I always will want to go back to Konoha"

"Well you can't go back. And you never will, un, so you might as-well make the most of it" he snapped, I winced at the sharp tone

"Then if you won't send me back, blow me up" I whispered,

"What? Un"

"You heard me, everyday I've spent here I've always expected you to get bored and blow me up like you're supposed to. Just do it now" there was silence until…

"No, un" I blinked in confusion "I'm never going to blow you up. There's a special kind of art form I want to complete with you"

"What kind of art form is that?" I mumbled, letting a few more tears fall,

"It's not important right now, un" he bent down and kissed away the tears that escaped my eyes "how did you ever become an Anbu? Un. You show your feelings way too much"

"I'm strong, I'm a good leader and I always put my team before myself" I said, my voice barely audible,

"Hmmm, I suppose those are good enough reasons, un"

"Piss off" I snapped,

"You look so beautiful right now, un" I turned my head back to the blond man above me, he was leaning down and I knew what was going to happen,

"No" I protested, turning my head away again, he sighed,

"Petal-"

"NO. DON'T 'PETAL' ME. JUST FUCK OFF; I DON'T WANT ANYTHING TO DO WITH YOU. JUST LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE" Deidara's eyes darkened,

"For fuck's sake, un. Why are you being such a whiny little bitch all of a sudden?"

"IN-CASE YOU HAVEN'T NOTICED DEIDARA. I DON'T-"

**SMACK**

I took a deep breath as I found myself looking at the far wall; he'd slapped me "shut the fuck up Akina. I've realised you don't want to be here, un, but through all your whining I've yet to hear you say **why**"

I glared up at him "why? Why? Why'd you think? You ripped me from my home, my family and my friends. Everything I love is gone. You have **no** idea what that's like!" I hissed, his face twisted into something I couldn't read and his eyes softened,

He climbed off me and quietly left the room "I'll be in Tobi's room if you need me, un. Sasori's too nosy"

I rolled over and buried my face in the pillows, wrapping the covers around me like a cocoon. I cried myself to sleep.

* * *

When I entered the kitchen the next morning I saw a good portion of the Akatsuki slumped over the table clutching their heads,

"Are you lot okay?" I asked, they lifted their heads about an inch off the table to glance at me; Kisame was the first to speak…As usual,

"Thank the fucking Gods, Akina's here" he sighed,

"What?"

"We need you to cook us breakfast" Itachi explained, unlike the others he had rested his elbow on the table and his head on his hand,

"Don't you usually get your own breakfast…And where's Kakuzu? I thought he did all the cooking!"

"He and Hidan left for a mission late last night" Sasori stated, he was the only one not wincing and moaning in pain, in-fact, he was reading the paper!

"What the hell happened to all of you?" I asked glancing at them each in turn, Itachi, Kisame, Konan…For God sakes even Zetsu!

"We stayed up late last night after we found some old Sake in the cupboards, we were so drunk we probably wouldn't have realised if we were being attacked" Kisame groaned, ah that explains it; they were hung-over "FOR FUCK SAKE TOBI! SHUT UP!"

"Tobi's still in bed!" I laughed nervously,

"What? Oh but I'm sure I can hear…TOBI! IF YOU DON'T SHUT YOUR DAMN TRAP I'LL KILL YOU!" he began stamping on the floor, the subordinate rooms are on the lower levels of the base, there aren't any here now as they're back at the Akatsuki main hideout…Wherever that is. Tobi is the only one who sleeps down there,

"How about I start breakfast?" I quickly scurried past the ex-Mist Nin towards the stove,

"I'll put on some coffee" Sasori offered,

"Why aren't you hung-over?" I asked, glancing at him, he tapped his head with his knuckles "oh right…Puppet"

"Exactly" he nodded, filling the kettle and pulling down the cups from the cupboard,

"I'm so fucking glad you're here!" Kisame sighed "we'd all starve otherwise"

"What makes you think I can cook?" I turned to face him, hands on hips, he chuckled,

"You're a woman. All woman know how to cook!" I rolled my eyes,

"What about Konan? She can't cook" Sasori sighed whilst pouring the hot water,

"It's true" the blue haired woman nodded,

"Yeah well, we aren't too sure about you" Kisame sniggered, as I walked past him to grab a dishcloth I banged him on the head with the frying pan I wan holding, he yelped in pain,

"Don't sass a woman" I ordered "especially when you're hung-over"

"You've obviously never encountered hung-over men Akina" Itachi said, lifting his head to look at me,

"I've encountered a hung-over Hokage. Does that count?"

"The Hokage's a woman isn't she?" I nodded "then no"

"Hung-over men, especially when it's these men…and Konan…Are like children. Totally helpless" Sasori explained,

"_**We aren't helpless**_" Zetsu argued, I put down my frying pan,

"I guess you don't need me then" I dropped the dishcloth and began to walk away, only to hear them groan in disagreement "alright, I'll stay!" they cheered before wincing and clutching their heads again, I sighed "they really are like children"

"What's the date today?" Kisame asked suddenly, still rubbing his head where I'd hit him,

"October 17th" Sasori informed, placing a cup of coffee in-front of each of the members,

"That sounds important to me…I just can't remember why"

"It's Deidara's Birthday. He's twenty-one"

"Yes! That was it. We can finally go drinking for a birthday again! Itachi I think you were the last one we did that for!" Kisame grinned at the Uchiha who was sipping his coffee,

"That was two years ago!" Konan sighed "God it feels like forever!"

"Akina, how old are you and when's your birthday?" Kisame asked frantically,

"Seventeen and January 1st" I replied, scooping the eggs onto the plate's in-front of him,

"Damn, we gotta wait like…Hold on, one, two…Uh-"

"Just under four years" I sighed, this was the Tusunde thing all over again. Except Kisame was ten times worse, he could barely make it to three "well there's your breakfast, courtesy of Akina Michiko" I took a mock bow as they began to shovel it into their mouths, I sweat-dropped and looked at Sasori, he shrugged and left the kitchen,

"Since you're cooking I'll go wake Tobi and Deidara"

"Great" I sighed "I've become the Akatsuki mother, would you lot like me to pack your lunches as-well as make your beds and do the laundry" I joked,

"Would you? I get so sick of eating rabbit every time we leave for a mission" Kisame grinned,

"No, I was being sarcastic!" I snapped and turned back to the stove,

"There's the birthday boy!" I turned my head to see Deidara in the doorway, his hair was messy and he was still in his underwear and shirt "your girlfriends cooking breakfast"

"Only because I feel sorry for you lot, seriously. Some of the world's best ninja at the mere mercy of a teenage girl" Deidara mumbled something inaudible before taking a seat at the table beside Konan. I rolled my eyes and placed his breakfast in-front of him, he glanced up at me with wide, confused eyes "because it's your birthday" I said quietly, not meeting his gaze.

* * *

Rose: That's chapter 10, I don't really know how long this story is gonna be, but I can tell you now, it's far from over.


	11. Deidara's Birthday

Rose: Hehe, I am having so much fun with this story.

Disclaimer: No,

* * *

The day passed uneventfully, Deidara avoided me for the most part but I found good company in Tobi,

The men, and Konan's, hang-overs passed and as the day drew to an end they were getting restless, apparently they took someone's twenty-first birthday **very** seriously,

The sun was setting now and everyone retired to their rooms to get ready, the town we were going to was only a twenty minute walk away and was non-ninja, meaning there was very little chance of anyone being attacked so it was a rare time in which they were all allowed to relax in public,

Entering Deidara's room I saw the bathroom door was closed but the light was peeking through the gap at the bottom, I sighed silently and searched through the clothes in the chest of drawers,

The door opened and Deidara stepped out, a towel around his waist and another one in his hands drying his hair, he jumped when he saw me,

"I…Uh, I didn't hear you come in, un" my cheeks flushed red and I glanced down at the clothes in my hand,

"Sorry. I'll wait outside until you're done" I quickly scurried past him but he grabbed my wrist and pulled me back, pressing his lips to mine but pulling back almost immediately,

"No, I'll…I'll change in the bathroom, un" he released me and gathered his clothes, entering the bathroom again; I touched my lips with my fingers before jumping and rushing back to my clothes.

* * *

"Damn zipper!" I snapped, reaching over my shoulder before twisting my arm around, but I still couldn't reach it, suddenly I felt someone grab it and pull it up, I gasped when Deidara paused to run his fingers over my Anbu tattoo, located in the middle of my back and then the zipper was pulled to the top,

"You look beautiful, un" I turned in Deidara's arms to stare up at him, he was wearing a simple white button up shirt and dress pants. He began fingering the hem of my white dress, it was off shoulder and stopped about two inches above my knees, it had see-through flowing sleeves and showed some of my cleavage "where are your shoes?" I pointed to the bottom drawer; the blond man released me and dug around for them "sit down, un"

"Deidara, you don't have-"

"I want to, un" I sighed in defeat and plopped down on the bed, Deidara lifted my foot up gently before slipping on the white dolly shoe, he repeated the action with the other one, when he was finished he stood up and held his hand out to me, I slipped mine into his and let him pull me up "I'm sorry, un" I snapped my head up to look at him "I understand this hasn't been easy for you, un. Being taken away from everything you love like you have. But I'm very proud of you for not giving up" he turned his head away, I reached up and touched his cheek, forcing him to look back at me, and then I did something I didn't think I'd ever do:

I kissed him.

It was only a small peck. Like you'd give to child when they were sad. But even so I felt something unpleasant stir in my stomach and I pulled back, Deidara's jaw dropped slightly "s…Sorry" I stuttered, trying to pull away but his hands clamped down on my hips and he crushed his lips to mine, I gasped and his tongue dived in, sweeping through my mouth, my hands tangled into his, once neat, hair and tried to yank his head away,

One of his hands slipped from my hip around to cup my ass, I unwillingly moaned and he pressed my body closer to his, his other hand fiddled with the zipper he'd previously done up for me,

"Hey birthday boy! Ready to go?"

We jumped almost a foot apart when Kisame threw the door open, he glanced at us , eyebrows raised, we were panting, our faces were flushed and I was busy fixing my clothes whilst Deidara flattened his hair,

"Are you two okay?"

"Yep" I squeaked highly, walking pass him out of the room, Deidara in tow "just peachy!"

* * *

"Okay. Sake all round! Except for whitey, because she's underage!" Kisame grabbed my cheek and squeezed it as if I was a child,

"Kisame!" I whined, he chuckled and handed me my water,

"The only one left!" Itachi smirked, sipping his drink; I stuck my tongue out at him and hid behind my glass. I felt Deidara slip an arm around my waist to hold me closer to him "what's wrong?" I asked quietly, everyone else had become engrossed in conversation and drinking,

"Those men over there are ogling you, un, I don't like it" I followed his gaze over to a group of four men who were pointing in our direction and whispering to each other,

"Just ignore them" I shrugged, taking a sip of my drink, as I did Tobi came sprinting out of the crowd,

"Will Deidara's Petal dance with me?" he asked, grabbing my hands, I laughed,

"Sure Tobi" I stood up and let Tobi lead me to the dance floor, Deidara watching as we went,

* * *

Tobi held my hands the entire time we were dancing; I laughed as he spun me around, picked me up and dipped me even though it didn't fit with the music,

I felt a pair of hands brush over my hips and someone kiss my neck, I gasped and spun around expecting to see Deidara, instead I saw a man I didn't know, I recognised him as one of the men who'd been pointing at Deidara and me before, he had dark hair and eyes and I didn't like the feel of him, it made me uneasy,

"Hey" he said huskily before pulling me closer to his body, connecting his hips with mine,

"Excuse me" I said, pushing away from him,

"Aw, c'mon sweetheart" he cooed,

"Let go!" I snapped, glancing around for help I saw Tobi had disappeared, Kisame, Itachi, Zetsu and Konan were occupying themselves with a drinking contest and I couldn't see Deidara, my eyes widened when the man grasped my wrist and tried to drag me back to his group "hey! Didn't you hear me? I said let go!" I forced him to stop when I dug my heels into the ground,

"Let me buy you a drink, love"

"No. I'm underage" his eyes widened slightly before he grinned,

"Untouched by alcohol, huh? Then, my dear, you haven't lived" he leaned in close and I wrinkled my nose,

"If alcohol does that to your breath, I'll gladly pass" I yanked my wrist free and stalked off,

A hand clamped over my mouth and an arm around my waist, I wriggled in the persons grasp "that wasn't nice, lovely" he was back again,

I threw my leg up and kicked him in the nose, he yelped but over the loud music you could hardly hear it, I broke free from his hold and quickly made my way back to our table, Deidara was back, sipping his sake and laughing with Kisame, I sat down next to him, so close that our sides were pressed against each other, he stared down at me in confusion,

"What's wrong? Un" I shook my head,

"Nothing!"

Deidara shrugged and wrapped his arm around my shoulders, I glanced back to where the man was last seen, I gulped when I saw him back with his friends glaring murderously at us, Deidara was watching me carefully "Petal are you sure you're okay? Un"

"Yeah I'm fine!"

"Wha-"

**THUNK **

Kisame's head hit the table and a loud snore erupted from him, Deidara and the others burst out laughing,

"Fourteen bottles. That's his limit!" Zetsu chuckled; Deidara glanced back at me,

"What were you looking at? Un" I smiled lightly,

"Just searching for Tobi"

"Hmmm. Want a sip?" he held out his sake cup to me, I wrinkled my nose, Deidara chuckled and kissed my temple, I twisted my head away "you always do that when you don't like something, un. C'mon you haven't even tried it"

_If that was the case it would always be wrinkled!_

I sat up and took the cup from him before gulping down a small amount, I coughed and handed it back to him "I don't like it" I mumbled, Deidara just sighed and rested his head on mine. My eyes darted back to the men. They'd vanished.

* * *

An hour. One bloody hour was all it took for the members of the Akatsuki to get wasted beyond reason. Even Kisame. Who'd passed out! Started drinking again once he woke up,

It didn't take long to see what kind of drunk each of them were:

Kisame: The 'denial' drunk, no matter how much you tell him he's drunk he just won't listen and argues back until he gets his way.

Itachi: It's hard to tell, but apparently he's a mix between the 'sleepy' drunk and the 'angry' drunk. He sat in the corner with his eyes closed and arms crossed. Tobi disturbed him earlier and got a nasty beating before the Uchiha relaxed and went back to sleep.

Tobi: He didn't change at all. He remained as hyper and happy as usual…Except his voice became undeniably deeper for some reason.

Zetsu: The 'happy' drunk, his light and dark side haven't argued once since he started drinking, he kept pulling me down next to him and making me listen to his stories.

Konan: The 'sappy' drunk, she'd started sobbing over the tiniest things, Kisame killed a fly and the woman burst into tears, leaving me to comfort her for a full ten minutes before she calmed down and drank some more alcohol.

Sasori: He's a puppet and ingesting the alcohol has absolutely no effect on him. Much to everyone else's displeasure and annoyance.

Unfortunately I hadn't seen Deidara since he'd left for the bathroom, Tobi had been keeping me company and at the same time was dragging me all around the dance floor and to the bar and back, I felt as though my arm was going to be ripped from it's socket, it wasn't until Tobi placed me in a chair by the wall and ran off that I finally found my blond haired captor,

"Hey" I greeted nervously "are you alright?" I stood up and walked closer to him, jabbing his shoulder lightly,

He was staring intently at me, standing perfectly straight "I…Want to tell you something, un" he rasped, I coughed,

"Oh God your breath!" I cried "it's horrible!" I pulled away from him but he marched towards me, when my back hit the wall he slammed his hands against it next to my head, trapping me "Deidara!"

"Did you know…Un" he breathed, I was about to wrinkle my nose but thought better of it "that sex…Is art?"

"W…What?" I gasped,

"Sex is art…And I wanna make art with you, un" his hands slid down the wall and cupped my ass, thrusting my hips into his, I whimpered,

"How is…S…Sex art?" I wiggled around in his grasp, he moaned into my neck and I felt something hard press into me, making me freeze,

"The sudden explosion of pleasure that leaves you panting and gasping for more even though it only lasted a few seconds, un…That is art"

"That's n…Nice. But I really have to go now" I ducked out of his grip and side stepped around him, he growled and dived at me, knocking us onto an empty table, the other customers didn't seem too bothered that a young woman was being pinned to a table by a full grown man, a drunken couple walking by even pointed to us and stated how they were gonna 'try it like that', I groaned "Deidara get off!"

"I wanna make art, un" he whined, I pushed on his shoulders,

"Another time, not now" I bargained "you're drunk and you wouldn't even remember it if we did it now"

"Promise? Un" he sucked on my shoulder,

"P…Promise what?" I clenched my eyes shut,

"If I let you go will you promise we'll do it another time? Un"

I thought for a moment, he was acting **way** too smart "are you really drunk?" I asked, staring up at him, he blinked before crashing his lips to mine, gripping the front of my dress, I felt him pull on the material and I screamed into his mouth…This defiantly answered my question!

Suddenly Deidara was ripped off of me and tossed to the ground, I sat up and clambered off of the table, looking up I saw Sasori standing over the giggling blond "I knew this was a bad idea" he stated "you can sleep in my room tonight" I nodded, still gasping for breath.

Deidara's type of drunk: 'Insane sex craving yet incredibly intelligent' drunk.

* * *

Rose: This is my shortest chapter so far. But I couldn't really add anything onto it without it being too long. Anyway. Review please!


	12. The Red Dress

Rose: I like the reviews I got so far, but let's keep 'em coming! They make me happy!

Disclaimer: No I don't own, just the plot and the OC's,

I don't know what happened the last time I uploaded this chapter so i re-did it. Sorry!

* * *

"Are you sure about this Sasori? I mean. I can have the floor, it's your room"

"No I insist. It would be rude of me to make you sleep on the floor" Sasori lay down on his futon, arms behind his head,

After lugging the members of Akatsuki back home and dumping them on their beds, Sasori and I had retired to his room, after a small argument, which he won; I was forced to sleep in his bed while he took the floor,

"Sasori I could-"

"Stay in the bed and go to sleep. I'm not arguing about this anymore"

I sighed and rolled over so I was facing the wall, I really didn't want to have to look at the open corpses and bloody utensils, and this bed gave me a perfect view.

"HEY FUCKERS. WE'RE BACK!" I jumped and slipped out of the bed onto the floor, Sasori rubbed his forehead from his position next to me,

"If Hidan wasn't an immortal I'd estimate he'd be dead by lunchtime"

"Hmmm" I nodded, rubbing my eyes whilst standing up and slipping on my shoes. I slept in the dress I wore the previous night and was eager for a bath and a change of clothes "I'll go check on the Birthday boy" I chanted,

"And I'll go tell Hidan to keep it down…He's not going to like this" Sasori opened the door and we stepped out into the hallway, I broke away from the red-head when we reached Deidara's room,

The blond man was sitting on his bed, head in his hands and groaning; he looked up when I entered "morning, un. Where've you been?"

"I slept in Sasori's room. You get a little…Testy…When you're drunk"

"Did I do something to you? Un"

"You got a little 'touchy feely' but nothing happened"

"Who was shouting earlier? Un"

"Guess" I sighed stalking towards the chest of drawers to find something to wear,

"Great, un, he's back…Are you gonna make us breakfast?"

"Nope, Kakuzu's back" I chirped, heading towards the bathroom, Deidara groaned before falling back onto the bed and letting out a loud snore.

* * *

I dressed in the bathroom. After all, there's no telling what Deidara's like when he's fully awake **and** with a hangover. I finished tying the support bandages around my chest before slipping a pale blue dress over the top. It had spaghetti straps and was longer than my other dresses; I pulled a cardigan over my shoulders. It was October now and the weather was getting colder,

Re-entering the bedroom I saw the bed was empty and the door wasn't shut properly, I sighed whilst slipping on my shoes again,

Deidara and the other 'hungover's' as I was calling them were seated at the table drinking coffee and wolfing down the breakfast that Kakuzu had been forced to cook, the Akatsuki and his partner were long gone, probably off to bed, I sighed and grabbed a plate as-well while sitting next to Konan.

* * *

Later that day while I was walking down the hall towards the kitchen, I heard voices echo from the living room, I recognised them as Deidara, Sasori, Kisame and Hidan. And they were talking about me!

"So how far you got with that bitch Deidara? Fucked her yet?" Hidan asked, loudly I might add,

"No, un" came the stoic reply,

"How come? It's been eight fucking months. Most couples are in bed by the third"

"She doesn't think of us as a couple, un" I rolled my eyes, well duh!

"Leave Blondie alone Hidan. He knows what he's doing" Kisame chuckled "right?"

"No. I've tried everything I can think of, un. I've bought her gifts; given her anything she's asked for-"

_Except freedom...And pants!_

"-I've been nice to her, I've-"

"Have you tried doing something she likes?" Sasori asked,

"What? Un"

"All the gifts you've given her, they were what **you** liked…Take her into the town and get her something **she** likes"

"…Girls like that? Un"

"Shopping?" Kisame snorted "yeah, they adore it. All girls do"

"Okay, un, I'll go get her. We can do it now"

I jumped and quickly sprinted back the way I'd come to avoid being detected.

* * *

"Why're we doing this?"

"Cause…We…I don't know, un. We just are!"

_Right…You're doing this so I'll sleep with you. You just don't want to admit it!!_

"Okay…Could I get some pants?"

"No, un"

"Why not?"

"Cause I don't want you to, un"

"But it's getting colder!"

"The local women seem to survive. You can too!" I groaned and let Deidara drag me down the street and into one of the clothing stores "okay, un, find something you like…But no pants"

I sighed quietly and searched through the racks for something I liked. The trouble is. I don't like dresses and actually prefer it when Deidara gets them because then I don't have to spend ages picking out the flaws, years of being forced into shopping trips with Sakura and Ino had taken it's toll and I came to think of clothes shopping as something to be despised.

"Do me a favour? Un" I glanced up the blond man, he was grinning stupidly and hiding something behind his back,

"Depends on what it is"

"Try this on!" he pulled out a deep red dress and held it out to me, I blinked and took it from him,

_Even when it's supposed to be about__** me**__, he still manages to make it for __**him**__!_

"Okay…" I glanced warily at him before entering one of the dressing rooms, stripping myself out of my current outfit I slipped on the silk red one; it was layered and reached to my ankles with a slit up each side, it bunched up around the shoulders and pushed my breasts up, making them seem bigger, there was a diamond shaped gap around my bellybutton.

"What does it look like? Un"

"Uh…Not good…It…Uh…It makes me look fat"

"I'll be the judge of that. Come out, un"

I bit my lip before pulling the dressing room curtain back and revealing myself to Deidara; I fiddled with my fingers and flushed at his expression,

His nostrils were flared, his eyes were wide and his lips were parted, drawing in deep, shuddering breaths. I gulped as he stood up and approached me, running his fingers down my arms, his breath hot on my face,

"Akina…" he groaned before shoving me back into the dressing room, shutting the curtain behind him and pressing me into the wall,

I gasped as his lips made contact with mine and he tugged the dress off my body, letting it pool around our feet, next I felt his hands clamp down on my hips and grind them into his own,

His cloak fell to the floor and his shirt followed not long after. I moaned as his fingers dived into my underwear and stroked me, one entered a few seconds later causing me to attach my teeth to the junction of his neck and shoulder.

He groaned into my hair "you're tight, un"

"Ahem!"

We froze, behind us was the manager…And he didn't look happy.

"Uh…Hi" I waved before shifting slightly. Deidara removed himself from me and pushed my dress into my hands, I wasted no time in putting it on and grabbing the red one from off the floor,

"It's quite nice to know that you want to love your wife sir" I coughed at the word 'wife' but he and Deidara ignored me "but I'm sure everyone would greatly appreciate it if you did it in the privacy of your own home"

"Sure, un" Deidara smirked, pulling his shirt on and clipping his cloak up, the locals didn't seem to realise the symbolic meaning of that cloak. And Deidara didn't seem to bothered that they didn't "c'mon Akina** sweetheart**. We're leaving"

* * *

I was a deep red as I packed away the clothes we'd bought, I tried not to meet Deidara's gaze as he watched me from his position on the bed,

"Put that red dress in the wardrobe, un"

"What red dress?"

"The one you tried on back in the store, un"

"I…Didn't buy it" I lowered my eyes back to the clothes in my hands; most of them were winter wear with thicker material, longer sleeves and coats.

"What? Un. But you looked so **sexy**!" he jumped up from the bed and gaped at me,

"I didn't like the way you looked at me" I finished packing away my clothes and drummed my fingers on-top of the chest of drawers,

"I was **turned on**! We were about to have **sex** against a wall, un…And in public too! Then that bastard stops us…Five more minutes…Heck twenty seconds and we'd have been doing it!" I bit my lip and suddenly found the floor very interesting, Deidara didn't seem to notice and continued on his rant "you know…By all rights that toilet should be pregnant right now! Un" he jabbed a finger towards the bathroom "I'm not gonna have any left for when I really need it!" he motioned towards his groin and I flushed before turning away,

"I **really** didn't need to know that Deidara" I turned back to him but he was gone "what the he-"

A pair of hands grabbed my hips and forced me into the chest of drawers "fuck it. I don't need the dress, un, you wouldn't be wearing it long anyway" I felt Deidara roll his hips into my ass, I moaned and scraped my nails across the wood in-front of me,

"Do that again!"

He complied and I threw my head back into his shoulder groaning into his ear, he was panting heavily.

Without warning he shoved me forwards into the chest of drawers, still keeping his hips connected with mine "damnit" he groaned "buttons"

There was a sizzling sound and a small 'pop' before I heard something fall to the floor, glancing down I saw one of my buttons roll across the room, a few more sizzles and pops later and my back was completely bare to the blond, he tugged on my support bandages, harshly causing me to cry out. I heard them rip and they pooled around my hips, his hands slid around the front of my dress and gripped my breasts, I gasped as the mouths engulfed my nipples,

Deidara leaned forwards and groaned into my ear, I closed my eyes and let my dress slip down my arms and pool around my feet, Deidara tugged on my arms and pressed me into the wall, I saw he'd discarded his clothes. Leaving him in his underwear. When he'd done it I had no idea...

His hands slid down my sides, leaving trails of sticky, clay mixed saliva before he cupped my breasts,

"Almost perfect, un" he mumbled, more to himself than me "these could be bigger though" he squeezed my mounds before trailing his fingers down the rest of my body "hips could be wider…Waist is perfect…Stomach flat and tight…Ass?" he cupped my cheeks and lifted me up, I wrapped my legs around his waist "good, un…Legs?" still pressing me against the wall with his body he slid his fingers down my thighs, the tongues poking out every so often to taste me "amazing…In a few years you'll be absolutely flawless, un" he reached his hand up to his left eye and I heard a clicking sound. It took me a moment to realise that he'd taken a picture of me,

My breathing was erratic. I couldn't take it. The heat in my belly was unbearable…I grabbed his shoulders and pulled him closer to me "inside. **Now**!" he grinned and with a sharp tug ripped my underwear clean off my body before doing the same to his own. The material now lay in tatters at his feet,

"This is gonna hurt, un" he said, but in my hormone driven state I hardly heard him,

I felt 'it' press against me and I gasped. It was bigger than I'd originally estimated. The tip was pushed in and Deidara groaned into my neck. Little by little more of him was pushed in to fill me, my insides were stretching to meet him but the pain was even more unbearable that the heat. I dug my nails into his shoulder as my chest suddenly tightened painfully "Deidara" I gasped…I felt him pause,

"What? Un"

I saw images flash in-font of my eyes, Tusunde, Naruto, Sakura and Ino. Hinata, Tenten…Kakashi…Gaara and his siblings…Everyone I knew and cared about until they stopped on the single most important person of my life. Chika.

What would she think? I'd given up my freedom to save her life…But this…I was about to have **sex** with **Deidara**…For the second time today I was (almost) going to have sex with him…Deidara! The man who threatened to kill us if I didn't agree to stay with him. The man who'd taken me away from my home…

"Stop!" I ordered "I…I can't do this!"

"What? Un, but we're so close…Petal we-"

"No. I can't do it. My village-" I couldn't breathe probably now, every second that passed my chest constricted a little bit more,

"Is not important. Un" he whispered; breath hot on my ear "what **is** important is you and me. Right now! We're about to create art together…The greatest art form that two people can make!" I shook my head, eyes wide…He was winning me over, Deidara was a master at sweet-talking "don't you want it?"

"Yes!" I cried, my eyes watering "I want this. God only knows how much I want this…But I can't do it. I'd be betraying my village!"

"You don't live there anymore" he rasped, the teeth on his palms dug themselves into my hips "you don't have ties there anymore. You only have me! Un"

"No. Take it out. Take it out. I can't do it. I can't betray them" I sobbed,

With a snarl Deidara ripped himself from me. Causing me to cry out in pain and fall to the floor in a heap, I curled my legs under my body and wrapped my arms around my chest, sobbing quietly, my lungs loosened so I could cry probably,

"Ten seconds Akina!" the blond spat "ten. Fucking. Seconds" he quickly dressed himself and stalked out of the room "you're lucky I don't believe in rape, un".

* * *

Rose: I can't believe I wrote an 'almost' sex scene…TWICE! Oh God my face was red.

Review please!


	13. The Aftermath of sex

Rose: I'm on a roll baby

Disclaimer: No.

* * *

I sighed and turned the page of my book, curling my feet tighter under me on the large plush sofa I focused my eyes on the words in-front of me,

Despite the book in my hands I wasn't actually reading. My mind was elsewhere. Specifically on a conversation Deidara had the night after our 'almost incident' two days ago, the conversation in question was not with me. But rather with Sasori. I just happened to be there when it happened…

_There was a thump and a quiet curse as Deidara tossed his pillow across the room, I heard the shatter of his clay sculptures, _

"_Fuck! Ten seconds. Ten more seconds and I'd have been fully inside" he whispered harshly "It's been eight months and she still won't do it with me. Un, why can't she be like the other women who couldn't wait to jump into bed with me?"_

"_Because then she wouldn't be Akina, she'd be a common whore…Nothing more than one of your weekend fixes"_

"_Shove it Sasori, un"_

"_Now that's just rude" I heard the shifting of material, meaning Sasori had moved further into the room and the clicking of the door shutting, Deidara sat back on the bed next to me "is she still asleep?"_

"_Yeah, un…So whatever you've got to say, say it quietly"_

"_Fine I'll make this quick. I personally think you need to see it from her point of view. You've taken her away from her home, and she's so young…You can't blame her for not wanting to make connections with the man who's put her through so much"_

"_She seems to get on with Tobi just fine, un" Deidara spat,_

"_True. But when have you ever seen Tobi attempt to flirt with her every moment of the day?"_

"_Fuck you! Un"_

"_That's polite" there was a pause before "so that's what's gotten you so pissed? I know you have a short temper Deidara but don't you think that's a bit much?"_

"_We almost had sex yesterday. Twice, un. And during the second time I was inside her…I felt the barrier Sasori. The fucking barrier"_

"_So what happened?" _

"_She started crying about her village and I had to stop. Un. Continuing would have been rape"_

"_She's still loyal to her village Dei-"_

"_She doesn't have a village anymore, un" Deidara hissed "they think she's __**dead**__. They gave up searching for her months ago"_

"_Have you told her?"_

"_What the hell do you think? Un, I can at least let her keep her fucking hope"_

"_If you want my opinion-"_

"_Which I don't, un" Deidara mumbled, Sasori ignored him and continued,_

"_I think you love her" I shifted slightly in the bed and rolled over to face the wall. Keeping my eyes closed,_

_Deidara snorted "I don't love her, un. But I am attracted to her…"_

_  
"As are many of the men here, though it's more of a brotherly attraction, Hidan is especially taken with her" Sasori's footsteps echoed around the room as he moved towards the window "it's a good thing all the subordinates, minus Tobi that is, are back in Ame" _

"_Hidan can go fuck himself, un. She's __**mine**__. And she always will be…And as soon as she realises that there'll be no stopping my art, and as for the subordinates…If any of them ever even look at her the wrong -"_

"_I think you need a lesson on courting" Sasori chuckled,_

"_I told you, un, I'm not in love with her"_

_Sasori ignored his comment and I heard them scuffle as Deidara was dragged from the room._

I sighed again and turned another page of the book, just to make it seem as though I was doing something, I looked up as Konan entered the room she took one glance at me and then the object in my hands before chuckling,

"What?" I inquired,

"Prisoner of Lust? I must say that's not a book I'd expect you to read" she moved to sit next to me, still chuckling, I blinked and looked at the cover of the book…

_Voted 'smuttiest read right after the Icha Icha series' _

I yelped and tossed the book across the room "I feel dirty" I mumbled while wiping my hands on the arm of the sofa,

"Speaking of dirty…How far have you and Deidara gotten? He's been in a violent stress for the past two days"

"I…Uh…I don't think you want to know"

"Oh so you've done it then?"

"NO WE HAVE NOT!" I shouted, Konan chuckled again,

"So how far have you gotten?" I mumbled under my breath, Konan leaned closer "what was that?"

"We almost did it the other day" I said, a little louder this time, the older woman covered her mouth as her mask almost slipped,

"I knew it! So that's why he's being such an ass-hole! You stopped didn't you?"

"Yeah" I mumbled, hugged a pillow to my chest, I blocked out what Konan was saying and mumbled that I was tired and needed a nap, quickly making my way out of the living room and down the hall,

"Ya know Deidara, if that bitch was mine" Hidan's voice echoed from the kitchen "I've had done her on the first night" I rolled my eyes and continued past, they didn't even see me,

"Deidara doesn't believe that rape is right" Sasori argued "and neither do many of the men…Apart from you and the ungrateful subordinates"

"Who cares? It's gonna hurt her either way"

"If I was to rape her, un, then her beauty would be washed away and replaced with fear and anguish" Deidara snorted,

"Fucking pansy"

"Fucking sadist, un"

"Besides…If anyone were to rape her" Kisame started "they'd regret it soon enough cause a lot of us quite like that kid…She makes us laugh and smile. I've even seen Itachi loosen up when she's around. You know he skipped training just to have a cup of coffee with her?"

"Really?" Sasori asked,

"Yeah, quite amazing really, course I ruined it by walking in and pissing her off but that's not the point"

"What is the fucking point then? In-case you didn't know I want to get back to making fun of Blondie about his sex life"

"Hey! Un!

"Sorry. I mean lack of sex life!"

"I don't actually have a point but if you're that desperate then fine. Deidara, how close?"

"I felt the barrier, un" there was a slamming sound and Hidan laughed loudly "SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

"You know" Hidan chuckled afterwards "if she's still a virgin then that means she's up for gra…FUCK MAN WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM?"

"Touch her and I will blow your balls off, un" Deidara snarled, I pressed my back into the wall and listened with more care "she's **mine**!"

"That's what I was talking about earlier" Sasori sighed "you're far too possessive, she probably feels suffocated"

"I am not possessive! Un"

Kisame snorted "right…And I'm the KazeKage" Deidara growled,

"You control everything she does" Sasori continued "you said it yourself she's not like the other women you've had. She has a brain for a start, and she's not swayed by sweet words or romantic gestures"

"I know that, un"

"So that probably means when you've fucked her you'll drop her, right?" Hidan asked,

"No, un. She's my muse and I'm keeping her forever"

"That's what you said about the Waterfall chick" Kisame sighed,

"And that piece of ass in Rain" Hidan added,

"And the woman from-"

"I get it! Un. But they were all whores…Akina's different. She has a personality and a beautiful essence around her that even I can't seem to capture…The others had a beauty about them that was…Common. Akina's is subtle and once you see it you never stop seeing it, un"

"I think I'm gonna fucking hurl"

"Bastard, un"

"As touching as that was Deidara" Sasori sighed "those other women were merely fixes for you until you found something that really made you think. As I said before. You are in love with Akina"

"I am not in love with her, un. I'm physically attracted to her" there was a small silence until "I AM!"

"So am I" Hidan chuckled "I mean those legs! She's like walking sex!" I blushed slightly and attempted to tug my dress so that it covered my legs more, was that what they thought of me?

There was the sound of something smashing and Hidan swore violently "don't talk about her like that, un"

"Hey look! You're the one who bought that fucking piece of jailbait here and made her wear those dresses. I'm a fucking man I can't help taking notice of things like that!"

"She's not jailbait she's seventeen! Un"

"Shut up both of you" Kisame ordered,

"As I was saying" Sasori continued "with those other woman you simply had to whisper a few loving words in their ears, buy them some chocolate and flowers before leading them to the bed…"

"So what splinter head is saying Deidara" Kisame sighed "is that to 'woo your fair maiden' as they say, you're going to need a different approach…A less…Lust filled one"

"Like what? Un"

"I dunno. I've never tried to form long term relationships before"

"Try doing the opposite of what you've done before" Sasori said,

"Watch some chick flicks" Hidan chuckled "I'm sure they'd help"

"Forget it. I'll think of something, un"

The scraping of a chair on the floor found its way to my ears and I sprinted down the hallway and into Deidara's room. Quickly entering the bathroom I breathed a sigh of relief. This would be my alibi…

I heard the door opening and turned the taps to fill the bath…While I was here I might as well.

Out of the corner of my eye I kept a watch on the doorway, I could hear him moving around before the creaking of the bed sounded, I scowled, this meant I wouldn't be able to leave the room without his knowing…Damnit!

As I was about to un-dress I heard the sound of scuttling just outside the door, glancing over my shoulder my eyes widened when a spider, about the size of my hand, squeezed through the gap under the door, I gaped at it…

"That looks like…DEIDARA!" I threw the door opened and glared at the blond sitting on the bed, holding a sketchbook "you bastard" I snarled, he blinked "how dare you use those spiders to spy on me when I'm trying to bathe!"

He snorted "you only just noticed? Un, I've been doing it since before I sculpted that statue" my jaw dropped and I whizzed around to look at said item, it had flaked to a point where you couldn't even tell it was me anymore. Thankfully Deidara had cleaned them up,

I let out a cry of frustration as I remembered his slip up months ago when he was sculpting it before storming back into the bathroom. Locking the door behind me and stuffing a towel next to it so his spiders couldn't sneak in.

"Bloody pervert" I groaned,

"I heard that, un"

"GOOD!"

* * *

Rose: Meh, I got nothing, review please.


	14. The Bet

Rose: I really like this fic…Does anyone think that I've spent too many chapters at the Akatsuki? If so just tell me! Thanks.

Disclaimer: I only own the plot, thanks!

* * *

"There's a Festival in the town this weekend, un" I looked over at Deidara, he was leaning against the wall, his hands grasping his knees and his teeth were clenched as his eyes board into me "and I was wondering if you wanted to go with me"

I folded the towel I'd been using to dry my hair and rested it on the chest of drawers "that sounds like fun" I stated, I was still mad at him for spying on me. Who knows how many sketches he's done…

"Good, un" I could tell that he too was annoyed, probably because I'd caught him "the Monday after I leave with Sasori for a mission" I shrugged, he'd been on missions before, usually he left without a moments notice "I'll be back after a week, un" and returned without a moments notice "so don't try to escape!" he glared at me and I snorted,

"No offence Deidara. But I've never tried to escape the entire time I've been here. I'm not stupid!"

"No. And that's what I'm worried about, un, to be an Anbu captain you have to know how to plan your attacks…" he left the sentence hanging and I crossed my arms,

"Like I said, I'm not stupid, and I'm not going to attempt to escape because I know I wouldn't stand a snowman's chance in hell!"

"Good, un" the blond repeated, still glaring at me, we locked gazes for a moment before I cast mine downwards,

"What crawled up your ass?" I mumbled,

"Nothing" he replied before grumbling something that sounded a lot like "but I'd like to crawl up yours" I ignored his comment and grabbed his artist's broom to clear up the clay particles around the statue "what are you so upset about? Un" I could almost hear his smirk, I gripped the broom handle tightly,

"Oh nothing" I chirped, still sweeping,

"Are you still miffed about the spider? Un"

"What do you think?" I snapped, finished with the sweeping I leaned on the broom and glared at Deidara "you complain about getting erections all the time but did you ever think that **not **spying on me in the bath would help?"

His grip on his knee tightened slightly and he breathed out a hissing sigh "God you look so appealing right now, un"

I threw my arms up in defeat "for fucks sake" Deidara clicked his tongue at my choice of words "oh **shut up**!" I batted him with the broom before returning it to its original position by the statue "you swear all the time so I'm going to as-well, I'll stop when you do!"

"Fine then, un. We'll make a deal" I looked back at his grinning face "if you can go longer than me without swearing I'll stop…With my perverted behaviour** and **you can swear whenever you want, un" I crossed my arms "but if you lose, un-"

"Which won't happen" I mumbled,

"Then I get that beautiful body of yours when-" I made a chocking noise in the back of my throat, cutting him off, he grinned and licked his lips, there was silence as Deidara's gaze wandered over me continuously, I shivered as a breeze blew in from the window, I decided to start a new conversation. Instantly pausing any thoughts the blond had about me…Typically I picked the worst subject…

"How many sketches have you got of me?" I chewed my thumbnail before leaning over to close the window,

"I dunno, un. I haven't kept most of them"

"I don't mean the ones where I posed **willingly**;I mean the ones where I was in the bath. How many do you have?" I glanced back at him as he flicked through the sketchbook,

"Sixty-two, un"

My jaw dropped "what? S…Sixty-Two?"

"Yeah, un. What to see?"

I clapped my hands over my mouth in a mixture of shock and horror. Sixty-Two nude pictures of me? I stalked over to him and reached for the sketchbook but he jerked his hand out the way and patted the spot next to him, his apparent arousal and anger from before gone. I gulped silently before crawling onto the bed to sit next to him, he wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer to him, all we were missing were two children playing in-front of a fireplace and a dog. I mentally shivered at the thought.

I took the book from the blond and lay it across my lap; taking a deep breath I opened it to the front page, I bit my lip and Deidara sniggered quietly into my ear "you look good, un"

As I turned the pages I became more and more used to the pictures in-front of me, most of the where of me in the bath, although one was of me with my robe just hanging off my shoulders as I un-dressed, and another was me while I was asleep.

The last one was of my upper body, my mouth was parted and my eyes lidded. It took me a moment to realise that it was me when I almost had sex with Deidara;

I began to count the blank pages "six" I stated,

"What? Un"

"You have six blank pages…Am I right to assume that you're going to, attempt, to continue spying on me?"

"Nah. You've figured it out, un. I'll find something about you to fill those pages"

"Great…" I sighed; I flinched when Deidara pressed his lips to my neck before gently taking the book from my hands, tossing it somewhere on the other side of room, before caressing them gently with his own, the tongues flicking out every so often. I stretched out of his reach and quickly leapt to my feet, the blond fell flat on the bed with a grunt,

He pulled his face out of the pillows and glared lightly at me, I giggled at his expression, covering my mouth with his hands, I yelped when he appeared in-front of me, backing me into a wall and pressing his lips to mine.

* * *

"So what is this Festival for?" I asked, glancing up at Deidara as he gripped my hand and steered me through the crowds, I stumbled slightly and jogged to catch up with him, pulling my coat tighter around me as I did,

Because it was colder than usual I'd decided to wear a longer dress with boots and a coat that reminded me of the ones Hinata used to wear when we were Genin,

"It's the Winter Festival, un"

We paused in-front of a stall selling trinkets and hand made jewellery; I brushed my hand over them, taking in their beauty and careful details,

"They're all hand made" the man chuckled "would the young lady care to try them on?"

"No not really" I declined politely "I'm not really much of a jewellery wearer" Tobi bounced up next to me,

"Ohhhhh!" he reached over and picked up one of the necklaces "pretty! Doesn't Deidara's Petal think it's pretty?" I smiled and nodded,

"Yeah it is" Deidara was standing next to me looking incredibly bored, I tapped him on the shoulder "you okay?" he grunted, I shrugged and moved further down the table with Tobi, moving from necklaces to bracelets and rings, the man selling the trinkets turned and began to chat to Deidara, we paid no attention until the blond man emitted a low growl, Tobi and I looked up in shock, the man looked pale and Deidara's hands were inching themselves towards his clay pouches,

"Uh…Tobi thinks he and Deidara's Petal should move away" I nodded in agreement,

"Quickly, move, move!" I pushed the masked man further down the road, away from the seething Deidara, and took refuge on a bench, a few minutes later a small explosion sounded and a great puff of smoke rose into the air. Most of the crowd didn't bat an eyelid as they were used to it. Deidara broke out of the crowds, an annoyed look still plastered on his face, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me to my feet, slipping a ring on my left ring finger "what the…?" I removed it and looked it over; it was a simple silver band with 'beautiful' written on the inside, I blushed lightly,

"It's real silver, un" he stated "I checked"

"Uh…Thank you" I whispered, I went to slip the ring back on but my arm locked up, Deidara wrapped his long fingers around my wrist and pushed forwards, gently forcing it back on before intertwining his fingers with my own, the mouth was kissing at my palm and forcing me to suppress a shudder. Tobi had disappeared back into the crowds.

"Let's see what else there is, un" he seemed to have forgotten all about his previous anger and I knew better than to push the subject,

He tugged on my arm lightly, jolting me back from my shock, and we continued walking forwards, checking out each of the stalls, Deidara spied Sasori looking at a puppet-seller's merchendice,

"Pitiful, not even art" the red-head mumbled, he dropped the wooden creation back on the table and turned to walk away when he saw us,

"Hey" I chirped, raising my right and free hand in greeting, the ex-Suna Nin nodded towards me before his eyes locked onto my left hand,

"Deidara may I speak with you privately?"

"Sure, un" Deidara released my hand and began to walk away with the red-head "stay there!"

"Yeah" I sighed, turning back to look at the puppets, the man behind the stall looked rather shaken, he was young with dusty blond hair and dark blue, almost black eyes, he didn't look any older than twenty-five "are you alright?" I reached over to him but he jerked awake and stepped away from me, eyes wide,

"They were…Akat…Akat…"

"Akatsuki?" I blinked and he nodded "you're not from around here are you?" he shook his head, his blond locks bouncing,

"Me and my family come here every year for the Festival…But I've never seen any of…**Them** around before"

I shrugged "you don't have to worry. As long as you don't pi…Make them mad then they won't bother you…Well, Hidan might…And Kakuzu…And Zetsu…And Itachi now that I think about it…But apart from that they're totally harmless!"

"You would say that. You're **married** to one of them" I choked on my own spit,

"W…What? I'm not married to-"

"Isn't that a wedding ring?" he pointed to the flash of silver on my hand, I quickly hid it behind my back,

"Uh…" I felt as though I'd been struck by lighting, that was why he'd bought it? That bastard! "n…No, it's a chastity ring…That man's my…Boyfriend?" I shrugged sheepishly,

"Really…Because he-"

"Petal…"I glanced back as Deidara and Sasori approached me,

"Bye" I smiled, the man nodded back at me but his eyes were locked onto Deidara, who was glaring fiercely at him, the ex-Rock Nin wrapped his arm around my hips and crushed my side next to his so hard that it hurt, I grunted and tried to push away from him as we walked down the street, but his grip was to tight,

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Sasori whisper something into Deidara's ear, the blond scowled slightly and a moment later his hold on me loosened, I rubbed my aching hip.

"Let's get something to eat, un"

* * *

"Sasori?" I jabbed the puppet Nin on the shoulder,

"Yes?"

"If Deidara swears while you're on your mission…Could you tell me when you get back?"

Said blond was busy chasing Tobi up the hill back towards the base, the masked Nin had won a game of darts and a stuffed monkey, which he had paraded about in such a manor you'd have thought him a small child. Deidara had finally gotten fed up with his behaviour and threatened Tobi with death upon explosion if he said another word. Of course Tobi thought he was joking, and being Tobi, had told Deidara so.

The artist had, of course, snapped and backed up his threat. Tobi had thrust the monkey into my arms and sprinted away screaming. Deidara right behind him.

"Why?"

"We kind of have a bet…"

"I understand" he sighed,

"So…You'll do it?" I hugged the monkey tightly in anticipation,

"Very well"

"Thank you" I threw my arms around the puppet man's neck before breaking away and running the final stretch of path to the base.

* * *

"…And remember, un. Don't try to escape"

"I know" I snapped "you give me that speech every time. And I already told you, I know I wouldn't stand a chance so just **drop** it!" I crossed my arms as Deidara approached me,

He slipped his arm around my waist and pressed his lips tightly to mine, when I didn't respond, unwillingly or not, he pulled back "what's wrong? Un"

"Nothing. I just don't want you to be late" I twisted out of his grip and smirked cheekily over my shoulder at him "you know what Sasori's like"

He sighed "fine, un. But only because of Sasori…" he yanked the door open stiffly "by the way…Tobi's going to keep a tap on you, if you swear I'll hear about it, un"

"That's fair"

"What? Un"

"Sasori's gonna keep a tap on you!" I stalked up to him, making sure to give my hips an extra swing, his jaw dropped slightly and his nostrils flared. Indicating he liked what he saw "see you in a week" I whispered, tracing his jaw before turning away and walking down the hall.

_There is no way I'm having sex with you bastard…I'm gonna make you crack. And if it takes the Kunoichi way to do it, then so be it!_

* * *

Rose: Damn this is fun. I'm thinking of making Akina tease Deidara a bit more? What do you think?

Review please!


	15. Achoo

Rose: Sorry about putting the wrong chapter up. I was so confused with the new layout of the publishing area and all that. So I accidently clicked on Muse instead of TOAN. Hope you all didn't mind but thanks for telling me otherwise i might not have noticed.

Disclaimer: Non!

* * *

I cherish the days when Deidara leaves me; it gives me time to myself…Something I very rarely have.

No more having to stay awake half the night to make sure Deidara doesn't try anything…

No more random 'from behind' hugs in hallways…

No more kisses on my neck while I'm trying to nap when I think he's not around…

And defiantly no more innuendo's about us!

For a week at least.

I sighed and spread out on the bed. It'd been three months since he'd last been given a mission and I always anticipate when he'll be given another one...

"Deidara's Petal!" I sighed and forced myself out of the warm, Deidara free, covers and over to the door, Tobi was in mid knock when I opened it,

"Morning Tobi" I smiled,

"Oh! Deidara has left and his Petal is all alone!" I sighed, this happened every time Deidara left, despite the blond mans warnings of 'take her out of the hideout and I will kill you, un' Tobi still took me on trips outside. Last time he took me to a natural spring, something I greatly appreciated,

"Yeah. So where are we going this time Tobi?"

"Tobi found something that Deidara's Petal might like" he fiddled with his fingers, I grinned and nodded,

"I'll just get dressed"

* * *

"Tobi! Not so fast! I tell you this every time" I yelled at the masked Nin from my position in his arms as he leapt from tree to tree,

"Tobi is sorry" the thumping sounds of his feet on the branches slowed to an almost stop as his pace reduced in speed, I sighed,

"Thanks" I'd begun to hate my lack of Chakra even more since Tobi had been taking me out, going so long without it had left my body weak, of course I'd never tell him that, despite the fact the masked man is Akatsuki he still has feelings and I hate making him sad…He reminds me of Naruto "where are we going?"

"It's a surprise for Deidara's Petal!"

"Hey Tobi? Would you do me **big** favour?"

"Anything for Deidara's Petal!"

"Stop calling me that"

"What?"

"Deidara's Petal"

"Why?"

"Because I don't really like it when you make it seem as though I belong to him…Couldn't you call me by my name like everyone else?"

"Pretty Flower?"

"What?"

"Akina means pretty flower…Doesn't it?"

"Spring flower actually…" I looked up at the Nin holding me as we continued to travel through the trees. We'd left the town a good hour ago,

"Pretty Flower is better"

I laughed "Pretty Flower it is then"

* * *

I gasped and stared in awe at the surrounding area…It was a clearing in, what I assumed, was the middle of nowhere, with a large lake in the centre with a waterfall at the far end,

"Tobi this is amazing" I breathed, glancing back at the masked man, he clapped his hands together,

"Pretty Flower likes her surprise?"

"I **love** it. It reminds me of the lake Hinata and I used to play by when we were kids…" I trailed off, the memory was too painful to think about, Tobi seemed to sense my unease and slowly approached me,

"Would Pretty Flower like to dance with Tobi on the lake?" I blinked up at him,

"Tobi, I don't know if you've noticed these past few months but…I don't have my Chakra. It was blocked off somehow"

"That's okay. We can share Tobi's" I gaped,

"W…What?"

"If Pretty Flower doesn't let go of Tobi's hands. Then Pretty Flower won't fall through the water"

"Uh…Okay" I half smiled and let Tobi lead me to the waters edge, as we reached it his hand started to glow green, it passed along his fingers and into mine, stopping at my wrist,

Tobi walked me into the middle of the lake, I tripped and stumbled a few times, not being used to walking on the water after so long, but eventually we made it to the far end, just catching the edges of the spray from the waterfall,

We began to dance, as corny as it sounded it was great, the feeling of having Chakra flow through me again felt wonderful, I smiled as Tobi spun me around and dipped me so low my scalp touched the water, it didn't bother me that the water was probably almost below zero. I was to preoccupied with following Tobi's steps…They seemed familiar,

"Are these steps Konoha style?" I asked, mid-spin,

"Yes. Tobi learned them watching a girl when he was in Konoha looking for Master Zetsu…But that was a long, long time ago"

"Oh…Just by watching?"

"Yes. Tobi is a fast learner. Why does Pretty Flower ask?"

"No reason…Just curious" I shook my head, letting water droplets fly into the air.

* * *

"ACHOO!" I sneezed into one of the many tissues Tobi had supplied me with, not surprisingly I'd caught a cold from the freezing temperatures of the lake,

Sniffing I got up and wrapped myself in my blanket as I trudged towards the kitchen to make a cup of tea,

"YOU BASTARD. I'LL KILL YOU!"

"LIKE YOU FUCKING COULD!"

"JUST WATCH ME!"

A slicing sound and a thumping sound followed the outburst, Hidan swore "FUCKING HELL YOU SHIT HEAD!"

"What on Earth-" I stopped dead when I analysed the scene in-front of me, Kakuzu was wrestling with Hidan's headless, yes I said headless, body while said head shouted obscenities from the floor, everything froze when they saw me, I stared in shock, moving my eyes from Hidan's head to his body to Kakuzu, I sneezed again,

"Gazoontype" they chanted,

"Thanks" I sniffed, wiping my nose,

"You're not gonna faint are you?" Kakuzu asked, during my first month I'd entered the living room to find Hidan with a hole in his chest and Kakuzu holding a still beating heart in his hands, doesn't take a genius to work out that I freaked and lost it,

"No" I stated "after the heart incident I can handle a headless immortal" I stepped over Hidan to get to the kettle, he chuckled,

"Ohhhhh lace!"

"Pervert!" I screamed, turning around I kicked him out of the kitchen, he hit the wall and rolled around the floor,

"You bitch!" he cried, voice muffled slightly, he managed to roll himself onto his side "Kakuzu, sew me back on so I can fuck her up!"

"No, sew yourself back on you ungrateful bastard" Kakuzu fixed his cloak and stormed out of the room, kicking Hidan back into the kitchen as he went, I smirked down at him,

There was a small silence, and then Hidan glared up at me "well? Are you gonna just stand there or are you gonna fucking help me?" I bent down and picked him up "can you sew?"

"What?"

"Sew. Needle and thread, you're a fucking woman aren't you?" I sighed,

"Yeah I can sew. What of it?"

"SEW MY FUCKING HEAD BACK ON YOU BITCH!" I grimaced,

"That's disgusting"

"Don't question, just do it!"

"Okay, okay" I sighed "to the living room…But if you touch me you're on your own!"

* * *

"Hidan control your damn hands!" I ordered, slapping them away for the tenth time since I'd started to sew over an hour ago,

"I can't do fuck all bitch. I'm not connected yet" I let out a hiss of annoyance and jabbed the needle in harshly "watch it that's my fucking jugular!"

"Well start being more grateful or I'm gonna leave you like this!"

"WHAT? YOU'RE ONLY HALF DONE!"

"I'd be finished already if you weren't such a pervert!" I rammed the needle I was holding into his creeping hand,

"What're you gonna do? Tell your pansy of a boyfriend? We all know the outcome of that situation"

"First of all, Deidara is not my boyfriend-"

"You're right…He's your soon to be fuck-buddy, right bitAHHH!" I rammed my needle into his eye,

"And second of all" I continued "no I won't tell him. I'll tell Tobi how you want to be his best friend" I continued to sew his head back onto his body as if nothing had happened, the silver haired man began to curse under his breath "and don't think Jashin is gonna get you out of this, even an almighty God knows not to mess with a woman"

He snarled and his body began to clench and unclench his fists "bitch. How dare you use Jashin's name in vain" I slapped his hands away again,

"No touchy!"

"Damn bitch…If you weren't Deidara's…"

I was temped to say 'but since I am you're out of luck' but I felt that would give the wrong message…

So I just settled for "Hidan are you on you period? Because last time I checked Konan and I were the only women in this house"

He stayed silent for the remainder of his operation.

* * *

"ACHOO!"

"Bless you" Kisame chuckled, entering the kitchen, I thanked him and sipped my tea "all packed?"

"For what?"

"Tobi didn't tell you?"

"Tobi didn't tell me what?"

"God damnit. Should have known better than to trust that idiot"

"What? What's going on? What should I have packed for?" I whined, Kisame shook his head,

"We're relocating. First thing in the morning" he grinned "so pack light"

"But…But…" I sneezed "where are we going?"

"Ame. Back to the main HQ. Zetsu and Konan already left to make sure everything's in order and the Subordinates didn't trash the place"

"What? I thought that…But what about…Ah man" my head fell forwards and slammed onto the table, Kisame patted my back,

"Itachi's gonna drop off your disguise later"

"What disguise?"

"Well we can't be seen carting some random girl around can we?"

"You shouldn't be seen period! You're ninja!" I snapped, he rubbed his chin,

"I suppose that's true…Meh, see ya later short stop"

* * *

Rose: REVIEW PLEASE.

I got nothing interesting to say!


	16. Colds Suck

Rose: Don't you just wish that those 'amazing' scientist as they're called would create some sort of helmet that connects to your computer and automatically wrote down everything you thought for your stories…Life would be so much easier!

Disclaimer: No I don't Naruto but I own the plot and the OC's

* * *

Tobi sleeps with his mask on.

I was lying next to him in the tent we were sharing, we'd set off for Ame the previous day and had covered quite a lot of ground…Apparently. Tobi had agreed to carry me during the move, mostly because I didn't want Hidan doing it and because no-one else wanted to deal with the consequences if Deidara found out…

After stopping for the night at the edge of a clearing Kisame had flushed out some rabbits which Kakuzu had cooked while Tobi and I set up the three tents we'd be sleeping in,

After dinner Hidan had fished out a pack of cards from his pack and suggested we play strip poker, I'd quickly cut in with the fact that because I was the only female present I was not going to participate…The cards quickly disappeared back into his pack.

I jumped when another lightning bolt flashed from outside and more rain beat down on the tent, I hugged my cloak tighter around me and tucked my legs closer to the rest of my body, the 'disguise' Itachi had supplied me with turned out to be one of Konan's old uniforms. A black mid-thigh dress with a fishnet mid-drift, white stockings, sandals and an Akatsuki cloak,

I sneezed. My cold was getting steadily worse. Tobi shifted behind me and I froze…I felt him rest a hand on my shoulder,

"Is Pretty Flower cold?"

I sniffed and rolled over to face him "yeah…" he unzipped his sleeping bag held it open to me "what're you…?"

"Pretty Flower and Tobi will sleep together" he whispered, I assumed he was being careful not to wake the others "Tobi will share his body heat"

I sneezed again "Tobi, really I'm fine" there was a roll of thunder and I shivered, I scooted closer to the masked man and he wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me into the bag before he zipping it up and lying back down…I rested my head on his shoulder, careful to avoid the metal plates, and closed my eyes, basking in the warmth Tobi gave out.

I fell asleep to the feel of him running his gloved hands through my hair.

* * *

"How much fucking longer?"

"Keep your knickers on" Kisame snapped "if you two weren't so slow then we'd probably be there already"

Tobi giggled and I chuckled tiredly, my head on his shoulder…My cold was causing me to become dreary and sleepy but I couldn't fall asleep because I kept bouncing around as Tobi jumped from branch to branch,

"SHUT UP!"

"It's true! You two are slow as fucking snails"

Tobi and I giggled again and Hidan glared at us "SHUT THE FUCK UP YOU BRATS!" we laughed harder and I buried my face into Tobi's neck to stifle them, Hidan cursed quietly to himself as the rest of us submerged ourselves in idle chit-chat.

I'd discovered that for the past eight months I hadn't actually been taken out of Fire country. Akatsuki has bases located all over the world in non-ninja villages that they stayed in until they were called back to Ame for unknown reasons. Deidara had disappeared a few days after kidnapping me to travel to Ame to see their Leader to ask permission to keep me, if he'd said 'no' I would have been killed…I'd refused to join in Deidara's glee that I'd been spared,

Itachi had predicted that by the end of this day we should reach the base, he and Kisame knew all the shortest routes and how to avoid the villages, I sighed and closed my eyes, breathing onto Tobi's neck I felt him shiver "are you okay?" I mumbled,

"Tobi is fine" he squeaked, I nodded and closed my eyes again,

"Let's rest for a few minutes" Itachi ordered, I felt my stomach flip as Tobi dropped to the ground, he released my thighs and I unwrapped my arms from around his neck and leaned against a nearby tree, clutching my head…

"Hey Bitch…You okay?" someone jabbed my shoulder, I looked up and blinked, everything was blurry…I saw a flash of silver, Hidan I presumed, and I stumbled forwards to clutch Tobi's shoulder,

"I feel…Dizzy" I collapsed to my knees and coughed violently before throwing up and falling to my side, the last thing I heard before completely blacking out was Hidan's cry of;

"FUCK!"

* * *

I slipped in and out of consciousness countless times but when I finally woke up for real it was to the feel of cool fingers on my forehead, I opened my eyes to see a blur of blue and white, blinking a few times I was able to distinguish that the blur was Konan,

"You have the flu" she stated as I opened my mouth "you'll have to stay in bed for the next few days, also…" she paused before glancing down at me, eyes narrowed "there was a foreign Chakra signature making it worse...Any ideas?"

_Tobi!_

I shrugged from under the covers "it could be anyone's" Konan nodded sharply before removing her fingers "how long have I been asleep?"

"About four days" she moved her fingers to my chest and pressed them down over my heart "no abnormalities…You should make a full recovery, I'll let you sleep and check back in a few hours"

I watched as she turned and stalked from the room, shutting the door behind her and leaving me in the dark.

* * *

"Petal…" I shifted in the bed and shivered as the covers were pulled away, the bed dipped and something warm was pressed against my back and an arm wrapped around my waist "Petal I'm sorry, un"

I rolled over and rested my head on Deidara's shoulder, pressing my forehead into his neck "I feel-" I stopped short when he hugged me tightly and rubbed my back,

"I know, un…I'm sorry, I should have been here for you…Why didn't you tell me you felt ill?"

"I didn't until after you left…I thought it was just a cold"

Deidara chuckled and I felt the rumble roll through me, I shivered again "you're still cold? I thought lying next to you would help, un"

"It does…A bit"

He sighed and buried his nose in my hair, my eyes closed tightly but I couldn't deny I felt better with him near me "I never liked this room, un. It's dark and dreary and the bed is right under the drafty window"

"Did you just get back?"

"Yeah, un"

"What time is it?"

"About one in the morning, un…So go back to sleep" I smiled and let my muscles become lax, Deidara shifted so that he was lying on his back with my head on his shoulder, his arm wrapped around my own, I wound my own arms around his waist and felt myself fall asleep.

* * *

I froze. How did this happen? One minute I'm falling asleep on Deidara's shoulder and the next our chests are pressed together and our faces just millimetres apart, I gasped as he shifted and our lips brushed…He sighed in his sleep and his arms tightened around me, I squeaked and jumped, causing our lips to meet,

Deidara's eyes snapped open and he stared down at me, blue orbs wide. I broke the 'kiss' and flushed "s…Sorry, I didn't mean to I…Uh-" cut myself off as I turned my head and coughed violently into my shoulder, he rubbed my back again,

"Too bad I can't wake up to that every morning, un" he grinned down at me and I couldn't help but giggle,

"It was a one time thing" he sighed,

"Thought as much, un" a breeze blew in and I couldn't stop myself from pressing my body closer to the blond as countless shivers racked through me (it was instinct! I swear) he held me tight "I think we need a thicker blanket" he mumbled, I nodded and shifted slightly, trying to pull away "what're you doing? Un"

"I have to go" I glanced up to see him glaring down at me "I mean bathroom wise" he blinked,

"Oh…Oh right, sorry, un" he released his hold on me and I crawled over him and out of the bed, disappearing into the bathroom, I heard Deidara's groan through the thick wooden door "damn that's cold! Hurry up would you?"

I dizzily stumbled back into the bedroom, clad in only a pair of pale blue shorts and a baggy white shirt, Deidara pressed his back into the wall, lying directly under the window and lifted the covers for me to climb back into the bed,

"Did you swear?" I asked, letting his arms curl around my form once more, my hands pressed against his chest in an attempt to keep as much of my body in the centre of heat, he blinked in confusion then in realisation,

"Nah" I flicked his nose,

"Too bad"

"Did you? Un"

"No"

"Probably for the best"

"Are you okay? Last time I checked **I** was the one feeling ill" he smirked and kissed my temple,

"If I didn't know any better, un" he whispered "I'd say you were asking me to take you" I gasped and my body stiffened "but I wouldn't even if you wanted me to"

"Why's that?" I asked, letting myself relax again,

"Three reasons. For one thing you're ill, un" I nodded "for another you wouldn't be up to it for a few weeks…At least!"

"And the third?"

"Ame isn't the best place to get naked, un" I giggled into his neck before sneezing into my hands "are you hungry?"

I shook my head "no"

"Too bad. I'm getting you some breakfast, un, Konan said you haven't eaten anything since you got here"

"I was asleep for most of that time"

"Don't care, un" he kissed my cheek and climbed over me, dressing quickly and leaving the room, I wrapped the covers around me like a cocoon, I couldn't deny that Deidara gave off a lot of heat, and it was especially noticeable when your ass is freezing itself! I jumped when I heard the sound of something smashing "TOBI YOU FU…I MEAN YOU GIT!"

I groaned "oh no"

"HOW DARE YOU DISOBEY ME!"

I grabbed a pillow and used it to cover my head "TOBI DIDN'T MEAN TO MAKE DEIDARA ANGRY!" I pulled the pillow away, Tobi was yelling…At Deidara? "TOBI THOUGHT PRETTY FLOWER LOOKED SAD SO HE TOOK HER TO THE LAKE!"

"WHAT? WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'PRETTY FLOWER'?"

"Tobi…Uh…"

They argued for a few minutes more until I couldn't stand it a second longer. Climbing out of the bed and fighting the dizziness I stumbled to the door and opened it, peeking out I saw a long narrow hallway, the walls and floors were made of dark stone and there were very few candles to light the way, I followed the sound of Deidara's yelling and Tobi's whimpering before I found a stone archway, glancing around the corner I saw it was a kitchen, and the two men were the only occupants,

"Deidara?" I croaked,

_Aw crap! I must sound pitiful…ANBU Captain my ass!_

He turned and his eyes widened "Petal? Go back to bed, un"

"I can't relax with you two yelling"

"My fucking thoughts exactly" Hidan strolled into the kitchen behind me "hey bitch, how ya feeling?"

"Better" I smiled, just my luck I had a coughing fit at that moment,

"Right…"

"No, I'm much better…I didn't throw up this time!"

Hidan chuckled and moved further into the kitchen to raid the fridge, Deidara moved closer to me and placed the backs of his fingers to my forehead "you're even hotter than you were last night, un" he whispered,

"Wow, I never new you had a fetish for sickies Blondie"

"Shut up Hidan! Un" Deidara slipped an arm under my shoulders and legs, lifting me into his arms "Tobi make yourself useful and bring the tray" he snapped, Tobi mumbled something under his breath "what was that? Un" Deidara's eyes darkened a fraction as he turned to glare at the masked man,

"Tobi didn't say anything" he grabbed the tray quickly "Tobi is ready when Deidara is ready"

"Good, un" the man holding me turned sharply and began to walk out of the kitchen, I shivered slightly and he held on tighter "you're sick and you go wandering around with barely anything on" he stated softly while staring own at me, I laughed nervously,

"Well…I…Uh…Damn. I got nothing!" Deidara chuckled and pushed open the door to his room, he set me back on the bed and wrapped the covers around me in an almost caring manor, but the kindness in his eyes was replaced with anger when he turned back to Tobi who was standing close behind him, the blond snatched the tray from him but Tobi didn't move,

"What're you waiting for? Leave! Un"

"Tobi wants to talk to Pretty Flower"

"LIKE HELL YOU ARE! IT'S **YOUR** FAULT SHE'S LIKE THIS!"

"IT IS **NOT** TOBI'S FAULT!"

"OH SO IT'S HERS?"

"SHUT UP BOTH OF YOU!" I screamed, they stopped and stared at me "you're giving me a headache"

Deidara sat on the bed next to me and placed the tray on my lap, Tobi shifted slightly "Tobi will talk to Pretty Flower later" he mumbled before walking out, I called a quick 'thank you' to him just before the door shut,

I broke the chopsticks on the tray and swirled the instant Raman around in its pot "you haven't had this since I stole you away, un" I stopped my movements and locked eyes with the blond "but I managed to convince Konan to buy it for you" he grinned and rubbed the back of his head, I laughed and his grin fell "what?"

"The truth is Deidara…I don't actually like Raman, I just used to eat it to keep Naruto happy"

"Oh…But I thought…" I smiled lightly at him "I'll get you something else, un" he reached for the tray but I slapped his hands away,

"I endured it with Naruto I can endure it now" I scooped the Raman into my mouth and swallowed it, grinning at the blond; he shook his head and chuckled.

* * *

Rose: NOOOOOO! Akina's warming up to Deidara! The end is nigh! No not really, review please.


	17. I love clay animals!

Rose: This is chapter 17, man; this thing has gone for miles hasn't it? Oh well! You love it!!!!

Disclaimer: NO! I don't own any of the canon characters but I own the OC's and the plot!

* * *

I laughed as Deidara ordered the clay rat to chase the clay bird across my legs and up my arm, the bird took refuge on the top of my head while the rat sat on the mans shoulder, blond tresses hiding its body while its whiskers tickled my ear,

I was huddled under the covers leaning against Deidara's chest while he sat above them with his legs either side of my body, his arms were stretched over my shoulders making hand signs to control the clay creatures running around the room, the bird chirped and fluttered down to land in my hands, I raised it to my face and it pecked my nose lightly in a small kiss,

"You like them? Un" I felt Deidara rest his chin on the top of my head,

"Yeah…" I breathed, a small spider crawled up the side of the bed and along the length of my body before resting on my thigh, I lowered one of my hands, keeping the bird on the other, and stroked the spider with my index, it chirped and clutched the finger with its front two legs, I giggled and continued to stroke it, Deidara lowered his arms so that they wrapped around my waist, I placed the bird on my lap and released my hand from the spider before leaning back into the blonds hold, I clutched his hands in my own and ran my thumb across the mouth of one, it licked and nipped at me,

"Ah…" I paused my movements when the man behind me stiffened,

"What?"

"Don't stop, un…That felt nice" he breathed, I giggled and did as he told me to,

"So your mouths are sensitive-" I stopped mid sentence to sneeze "huh?"

"Uh huh" he sighed "there's a lot of chakra nerves around that particular area making it kinda…AH!" his hips bucked into me, I squealed and clasped my hands to my chest "s…Sorry, un"

"Don't ask me to do that again" I gasped, he sighed and rested his forehead in the crook of my neck,

"What about a massage? Un"

"What?"

"My back is killing me…I think I slept funny, un, not to mention I need a rest after using all that chakra to make you those animals"

"Oh…I guess that's fair"

"Great! Un"

I slid away from him and turned around; Deidara shifted his body so that he was lying on his stomach with his head resting on his arms and his eyes closed, I shooed a clay squirrel away before straddling his hips and kneading my knuckles into his back, he moaned lowly which caused me to flush,

Slowly my hands travelled down his spine and back up, his body jolted "are you okay?"

"Yeah, un" he gasped, I nodded but then his hips rock into the mattress from under me,

"Are you sure?" I rested my hands on his shoulders and raised my hips from his body, he buried his face in the pillow and groaned; my eyebrows met "you **pervert**! You're getting off on this aren't you?"

"I'm a sexually active man with a hot woman straddling me, un, what straight guy **wouldn't** get off on that?"

"Can't argue with that!" I shrugged, he sighed into the pillow "did you want to, you know, go to the bathroom or something?"

"Nah I'm good, un"

"So I see"

"Okay, okay, if it bothers you that much, un" I moved to his side and leaned against the wall under the window while Deidara threw his legs over the edge of the bed "you should be proud"

"Why?" I smiled,

"How many people do you know who can turn on an Akatsuki? Un" he smirked and I cocked my head to the side,

"Dunno"

"You're the first"

"I feel so privileged" I sighed, placing my hands over my heart, he chuckled,

"I'll be back in a minute"

* * *

"Will you take me out?" I asked, staring up the blond man as he walked out of the bathroom, he blinked down at me,

"Tomorrow, un" he stated, I raised an eyebrow "I promise" he added, I nodded and smiled at him, he smiled back before climbing onto the bed and crossing his legs, he looked at me with expectant eyes and I rolled mine but didn't lose my smile as I moved to sit on his lap, he wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed my neck, I shifted so that my head was leaning on his shoulder and my feet were hanging off the side of the bed,

"What're we gonna do for the rest of the day then?"

"Well…Those animals I made you aren't true art until-"

"You blow them up?" I smirked,

"You know me too well, un" he pressed his nose to mine and grinned, I laughed,

"Just shows I pay attention" I reached up and removed his scope, lowering it to my lap to fiddle with it with one hand while the other one brushed his hair behind his ear, he clasped it in his own one and ran his thumb over my knuckles,

"You don't like this do you? Un" he breathed,

"What?" I blinked,

"Me…And you…You don't like it, un"

I lowered my eyes and gripped his scope tightly "I…Don't know. Sometimes I do cause no-one's ever paid me this much attention before and I feel flattered…But…Sometimes I don't cause you can go too far"

"I'll never hurt you, un" he whispered "and I'm sorry for all the times I have"

"I know" I said quietly "but it's not me I'm worried for"

"Who-" he stopped when I turned my head away, when he didn't continue I assumed he'd dropped the subject "I just want you to give me a chance, un"

"When I'm ready" I mumbled, his grip on my hand tightened and his face turned a dark shade of pink, I knew he wanted to shout and scream but he sunk his teeth into his bottom lip and let it pass, I decided to take his mind off the subject "we still need a new blanket"

"Huh? Oh right…"

"You said you'd get one last week" I smiled,

"Maybe, un, I just like being close to you at night" he hugged me tightly and I laughed as I lightly slapped his arm,

"Pervert"

He chuckled "and? Un" I shook my head,

"So tomorrow you'll take me out…And we'll get a blanket because you'll forget otherwise" he kissed my nose, almost immediately after he did I turned my head and sneezed, the clay bird chirped wildly and pecked Deidara on the temple,

"Ow, un"

"He's mad because you made me scare him" I cooed, kissing the bird on the head, Deidara blinked and cocked his head to one side,

"Would you ever do that to me? Un"

"Do what?"

"Kiss me, un"

"Why?"

"It'd just be…Nice I suppose, un"

"I've kissed you before" I pointed out, stroking the bird,

"Hmm, not real kisses though, un…More like pecks; and you never do it on the lips" we stayed silent for a few minutes, me petting the bird while Deidara ran his hands through my hair,

"Would you want me to kiss you?" I asked finally, looking up at him, he grinned,

"As much as possible, un" I wrinkled my nose and he chuckled "okay, okay, how about…In the morning after we wake up?"

"Huh?"

"I did say I wouldn't mind waking up to a kiss every morning, un"

"O…Kay" I nodded slowly,

"Great, un. Now about those animals…"

* * *

I awoke the next morning to Deidara licking my neck and kissing my face, I groaned and rolled over but he dragged me back to face him, he kissed my cheek then the corner of my mouth, I gave a noise of protest and giggled, burying my face into the covers, he chuckled,

"Oh no you don't, un. I want my kiss" he tugged lightly at the covers, trying to pry them away, I giggled again and dived completely under them, crawling down to the foot "hey! Un" his hand latched onto my ankle, pulling me back slightly before he shifted and followed me under the covers, the weight of his body pinning me down "I want my kiss" he ordered,

"I can't see you!"

"Well, we'll have to fix that, un" he reached over with one hand and yanked the covers from the foot of the bed, pulling them so they rested on-top of his head and draped around us like a tent "better?"

I shrugged "I suppose"

"Good, un" he leaned down and captured my lips with his own, one of his hands moved to cup the back of my head, pressing me into him while he used the forearm of the other one to remain balanced, I reached my own hands up and tangled one in his blond locks while the other rested against his cheek lightly,

"That was…Nice" I whispered softly after he pulled back "a lot softer than I expected" he chuckled,

"I can be soft when I want to be, un" he nuzzled my cheek "but only with you…No-one else deserves to see my caring side" I kissed his cheek and he massaged my scalp before bending down and running his tongue along the shell of my ear, I gasped loudly and jumped "you're too nervous, un, relax"

"You've had your kiss" I stated, twirling a lock of his hair around my finger "I wanna go out" he groaned and pressed his lips to the crook of my neck,

"Way to kill a mood, un" I laughed,

"There was no mood to kill" he didn't budge "c'mon Deidara…You promised!" I poked him in the shoulder,

"But I'm comfy right here, un"

"Don't care" I poked him again,

"I want another kiss! Un" he licked my neck,

"The deal was you woke up to 'a' kiss every morning" I grinned, he stretched back up so that our noses were touching and scowled,

"Please, un. Just a small one!"

I sighed "okay"

He grinned gleefully and attacked my lips, I yelped in shock as he took my upper lip between his own and nibbled on it before doing the same with my lower one, our teeth clashed and he drew my tongue into his mouth, twirling his around it. I squeaked,

"DEIDARA! LEADER WANT'S TO SEE YOU!" the door burst open and Tobi bounced in; he stopped dead in his tracks and cocked his head to one side "why are Pretty Flower and Deidara-"

"WHAT THE HELL HAVE I TOLD YOU ABOUT KNOCKING?" Deidara screamed, I threw my head back and laughed, I couldn't help it…The situation was too funny! Deidara sat back on my hips and glanced around the room "where the hell did I leave my pouches? Un"

"Did Deidara not hear Tobi? He said that Leader wants to see him" Tobi crossed his arms, Deidara snarled,

"Fine. Petal…" I looked back up at the blond man "get dressed. I'll be back in a minute and then we'll go out" I smiled and nodded as he crawled off me and grabbed his clothes"

"Oh. Now Tobi can talk to Pretty Flower. He hasn't been able to for the past week!"

"Like hell I'm leaving you here while my Muse changes…Not after the last time" Deidara grabbed Tobi by his scarf and dragged him from the room, I shook my head and giggled.

* * *

"**What** are you wearing? Un"

I smirked at Deidara from over my shoulder as I fiddled with my (Deidara's) belt "clothes"

"I can see that, un" he gaped,

"So why'd you ask?"

"THEY'RE MY CLOTHES!"

"Well you can hardly expect me to wander around Ame in a dress after **just** recovering from an illness can you?"

"Well…I…Uh" I turned to face the blond and slipped on my shoes, I smiled lightly at him and grabbed his hand before pecking him on the cheek,

"Are we going or what?"

"Fine, un" I steered him out of the bedroom and down the hall…Pausing as we reached the first turn,

"Actually…I have no idea where I'm going so…You lead!"

He sniggered and intertwined our fingers "no problem, un"

I grew dizzy as he led me down numerous hallways and around countless corners, he came to an abrupt stop as Kisame entered our line of vision, the ex-Mist Nin grinned at us,

"Hey Short-Stop" he greeted "how ya feeling?"

"Much better" I smiled; he patted me on the head as he passed by,

"Deidara you should really take better care of your girl" he joked, the blond glared at his retreated back,

"It was Tobi's fault! Not mine! Un" he yelled, I laughed before tugging on his arm,

"C'mon" I whined "you're wasting time" Deidara sighed and turned back to me,

"Don't pout, un"

"Why?"

"It makes me want to do things to you, un" he smirked at me before continuing down the hall, I jogged to catch up with him, not sure if he was joking or not.

* * *

Rose: Awww, isn't that just too cute? Well they had to start getting along sometime…This** is** a romance after all! But don't worry…Akina still has a lot of fight left in her!


	18. Ame

Rose: Wow, I've already thought so far ahead with this story…I just need to write it all down…Damn that's gonna take forever,

Disclaimer: No I don't own the characters but I do own the OC's and the plot!

My Birthday today! WOOT WOOT

* * *

Ame was an amazing place. Being an Anbu captain back home I'd been everywhere and anywhere but I'd never stepped foot in Rain country. It was no-mans land and they didn't take kindly to foreign Ninja.

The entire village was made of dark rock and pipes covered every part of it. Deidara had told me they were to run the water out of the village when it flooded; it wasn't the best system in the world. But Rain was on the border of most of the main countries so many wars were fought here and the population was made up of mostly refuges, I felt my heart clench at the thought of raising your children in such a hostile environment.

Deidara ran his finger over my ring fondly, smiling down at me, pushing my thoughts away before he asked about them I smiled brightly back at him and pressed my side against his, he chuckled,

"What?" I asked, blinking in confusion,

"I never thought you'd act like this, un"

"Act like what?"

"Like you like me"

I lowered my eyes to the puddle ridden floor, hopping over one as I brushed my hair from my face "I guess…I'm just seeing you in a new light" I whispered, he grinned and nuzzled my hair causing me to giggle "c'mon. We've been wondering around for over an hour now. When are we going to do what we came here to do?"

He shrugged "I dunno"

"So what have we been doing for the past hour?"

"I've been showing you off to the villagers so that they know you're off limits, un"

"You just knocked yourself back about ten points in my books" I sighed, he raised an eyebrow mockingly,

"What does that mean? Un"

"Well…I was going to treat you tonight for being so nice and understanding while I was ill" I smirked at him "but now I'm not so sure"

"What were you going to do? Un" he asked warily,

My tongue darted out to moisten my lips; he gulped loudly "something special"

"Is there anything I can do? Un, to get my treat back I mean" he asked, eyes wide and frantic,

"No" I chirped "you dug your hole and now you can't get out"

"B…But-" he started,

"Oh…this place looks promising" I cut him off and pulled my hand out of his before entering a pleasant looking shop with an elderly couple behind the till, they bowed when Deidara followed in after me,

"Good Morning Deidara-Sire" they chanted, I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion and glanced back at the blond, he shrugged and moved to stand behind me, bending down to whisper in my ear,

"Are you sure there's nothing I can do? Un"

"Positive" I fingered a knitted blanket only to find it not thick enough,

"What if I did something for you too? Un" he asked, slipping his arms tightly around my waist, I gasped lowly and felt the couple watch us closely,

"Deidara!" I hissed, he chuckled and kissed my neck "stop. Right now!" sighing he moved away before shooting a quick glare at the couple who jumped and turned away, I grabbed a blanket that I deemed perfect and strolled towards the till, the lady thanked me cheerfully, but her smiled vanished when Deidara slammed some money on the counter violently,

"Any time now!" he snarled, the lady squeaked and handed me the blanket, I didn't get a chance to thank her before I was dragged out into the street again,

"That was rude!" I cried, he shrugged "three more points"

"Damnit" the blond cursed "hey wait a minute, un. Why are you rating me?"

"To see if you're worthy" I giggled, he smirked and nipped my ear, ignoring the looks the villagers shot us,

"So how many points to I have? Un" his arm slipped to embrace my waist,

"Hmm" I pretended to think about it "somewhere in the thousands"

His smirk widened "that sounds good, un"

"Depends…"

"On what?"

"On how far into the thousands you are"

"So how far am I? Un" I giggled and kissed his cheek,

"About two"

"How many more do I need to get my treat?" he steered me up the path that led back towards the base, which I'd discovered was a cave cut out of a mountain just on the outskirts of the village,

"You need to be in the three's I'll give you that"

"Well…You've deducted thirteen so far, un, how do I get my points back?"

"It wouldn't be fair if I told you now would it?" I stuck my bottom lip out,

"I told you not to do that! Un" he scowled,

"That's why I do!" I stated, I moved ahead of him and slid my hand down his arm before gripping his hand in mine and kissing the knuckles "bet you can't catch me" I skipped backwards whilst smiling flirtatiously at the blond,

"Bet you I can! Un" he shot back "but what do I get when I do?"

I pressed a finger to my lips before turning and sprinting into the trees "ten second head start!" I shouted,

"LIKE HELL!"

I heard his footsteps behind me and laughed, quickly dodging behind a tree as his hand scraped my arm, I heard him curse "what was that?" I asked teasingly,

"Nothing, un" he chuckled, I jogged behind another tree but froze when I heard scuttling, looking up I saw a clay spider crawling towards me on the trunk,

"That's cheating!" I whined,

"You didn't state any rules, un" I gasped when he jumped down onto the mossy ground from above and ducked when he leapt forwards before running in the direction of the path, I yelped in shock when he tackled me, we rolled across the earth; leaves, moss and dirt coating us.

Eventually we stopped, Deidara on top, the blanket rolled to a halt next to us, he grinned "caught ya! Un" I wrapped my arms around his neck and leaned up, brushing our lips against each other,

"What're you gonna do now then?"

He moved closer, forcing me to lie back down, and kissed me; I ran my thumb over the back of his neck and inwardly smiled;

_It's working…_

* * *

"So what did you need to see your Leader about earlier?" I asked, tugging a leaf from my hair, Deidara opened the door to his room and bowed, letting me pass first; I shook my head and chuckled. He'd been doing many 'chivalrous' acts since he'd caught me the woods, hoping to gain his points back!

"We have a mission, un" he stated, closing the door behind him, I unrolled the blanket, which was a navy blue, and spread it over the bed, patting down all the creases,

"You and Sasori?"

"Me and Tobi, un" he grimaced "and-"

"Tobi?" I turned to him with a bewildered expression "but Tobi's not part of the Akatsuki...Why not Sasori?"

"Tobi's better at sneaking around than Sasori, un"

"But his puppets-"

"Require constant movement and concentration" Deidara crossed his arms and dropped down on the bed, I sighed in annoyance as he messed it up,

"Oh" I sighed and sat down next to him; he crossed his arms behind his head and leaned back against the wall "what is the mission? Or are you not allowed to tell me?"

"No I can tell you, un" he peeked and eye open and grinned at me,

"Really?"

"Yeah, un. Cause you're part of it"

"What?" I gaped up at him; he reached over and closed my mouth with his finger,

"Yeah…You're supposed to be the…Distraction, un"

"Distraction?"

"Hmm"

"Deidara!"

"Huh. Oh sorry, un, I zoned out for a minute there…You were saying?" he shifted in the bed, moving so his head was on the pillow, I turned my body so that I was still facing him,

"Why am I the distraction?"

"Cause you've got Kunoichi skills, un"

"What about Konan? Why can't she do it?"

"She doesn't have the skills, un, She wasn't taught them"

"What makes you think I have the skills?" I crossed my arms and glared down at him, he cocked an eyebrow,

"Please" he snorted "I've seen those extra hip swings you do…And when you traced my jaw as I left for my last mission, un, and the way you whisper in my ear and lick your lips and-"

"Okay, okay, I get it!" I held my hands up in defence and he grinned,

_Bugger! He caught on quicker than I thought!_

"Konan's gonna help you pick out a dress tomorrow, un" Deidara yawned and stretched out on the bed, I felt something nip my backside…

"HEY!"

"Sorry, un, couldn't resist…It's just so-"

"Yep" I cut him off "I've heard it before" he sniggered "so when is the mission?"

"This weekend, un, there's a rat in Ame…Apparently. He's invited Leader to his place for a party and we think it's an assignation plot"

"And who am I distracting?"

"The rat, un"

"You don't seem too pleased about this" the blond reached up and cupped the back of my head to pull me down on-top of him,

"I'm not. He's a pervert, un"

"And you're not?" I snorted, he raised his brows,

"True, un. But he has a level all his own"

"Ah. So that's it?"

"Yeah, un"

"Nothing else?"

"No, un"

There was a short silence until…

"You're lying" I stated, Deidara's eyes flashed with something but I couldn't tell what it was,

"No. I'm fine, un…Just forget about it"

"Okay" I said slowly "but if it was serious you'd tell me right?"

"Sure"

I nodded and climbed off him, heading towards the bathroom "I'm gonna take a bath" the man on the bed jumped up quickly, eyes bright and a wide grin on his face "and 'no' you cannot join me" his face fell and he began to grumble to himself.

* * *

I sighed quietly as Deidara buried his face deeper into the space between my shoulder blades; closing my eyes I tried to fall asleep again, which isn't easy whilst lying on your stomach with someone trying to dig a hole in your back with their face. The blond groaned and wrapped his arms around my waist, holding me tight. From under my lids I rolled my eyes.

I had just dozed off when he let out a rather loud moan, causing my eyes to snap open and my face to flush. He thrust his hips into my side "Akina…Oh!" I heard a gurgling sound and something wet drenched my back "right there…Oh, oh, oh…YES!" he thrust into my side again and I heard a slick 'spurt' and something also drenched my hip, my jaw dropped and as his grip around me loosened I managed to slip off the bed, quickly crawling over to the mirror I flipped my hair over my shoulder and craned my neck, I was able to see a small wet patch between my blades. HE DROOLED ON ME!

Also pushing my hip out I saw a sticky white liquid coat the clothed area, I flushed. He's had a 'wet dream'…ALL OVER ME!

I shook off the shorts and yanked the shirt over my head, my bare back shivered in the cold air; I was just about to pull my arms from the shirt when I heard Deidara shift behind me "is this my treat? Un, an early morning strip show…" he mumbled tiredly,

"You'll be lucky to see my legs after what you just pulled" I snapped,

"Can you turn around? Un"

"No" I dropped the shirt to the floor and made to pull on another one. The bed creaked and when I glanced over my shoulder I saw Deidara leaning to one side, trying to sneak a peek. I quickly slipped the shirt on,

"What did I do? Un"

I pulled on another pair of shorts and moved back towards the bed "you drooled on my back and had an…" I paused to swallow the lump in my throat "an erotic dream about me and ended up…releasing on my hip" he lifted the covers to peek under them,

"Well I'll be damned" he yawned and lay on his side, his head propped up in his hand while his free arm lay across his side "but you can't say you didn't see it coming, un" he snorted "you are **incredibly** sexy"

"I would appreciate it if you didn't do it again" I tossed another pair of shorts towards him, he caught them and changed under the sheets, throwing the soiled ones to the corner of the room,

"I'm not making any promises, un" he yawned again "it's not like you haven't had erotic thoughts about me"

"I haven't" I said shortly, climbing back into the bed and lying with my back to him, I felt his arm try to creep around me and slapped it away "I'm not taking any chances. Get on your side of the bed!"

"Hump" he grumbled, lying back down…A few minutes later a loud snore erupted from him, I sighed and closed my eyes,

"Finally…"

"Oh Akina…Ah…GOD! Do it again, YES!"

* * *

Rose: Well…Wasn't that interesting? Review please!


	19. Sharky and the Apron

Rose: Hey everybody, it's great that you all love this story so much!

Disclaimer: No I don't own Naruto…YET!

* * *

"_Hey Akina! Wanna play a game of Chall?" _

_I turned to see a sixteen year old Naruto "you bet! But you won't beat me" I laughed, he snorted,_

"_We'll see. Today is the day I will finally defeat you!_

"_You sound like Sasuke" _

_Later on we'd set up two goals at each end of one of the training grounds, Naruto and I stood in the middle, an earth coloured stitch covered ball between us,_

"_Three…" I started,_

"_Two…" Naruto continued,_

"_ONE!" we shouted, I reached my foot out and snatched the ball from under Naruto's nose, back stepping with it before turning around and kicking it through the blonds legs to the far end of the grounds where Naruto's goal was, blue Chakra streaming off it, _

_Chall is a game Naruto and I made up when we were seven. It's a bit like regular football except you can use Chakra to enhance your movements; there are five players on each side, a goalie, two defenders and two attackers. We created it to help our Chakra control and when we left the Academy we taught it to the younger students,_

_Pretty soon we each had a team of five, my side consisted of Tenten and I as attackers, Sakura and Ino as defenders and Hinata as the goalie, her gentle fist technique came in handy as well as her kekkei genkai,_

_Naruto's team had himself and Kiba as attackers, Shino and Lee as defenders and Choji as the goalie, _

_Lee blocked Tenten's shot and kicked it back to Naruto who aimed a goal, veins bulged around Hinata's eyes and she threw her palm forwards and caught the ball in her hand, green Chakra surrounded it as she tossed it back to Ino who kicked it to me,_

_Naruto opened his mouth, a wide grin on his face "Hey Akina how bout we-"_

_He was cut off as a bright light shone over the grounds and everything was engulfed by it… _

I lazily peeked my eyes open and groaned as light broke through the gap in the curtains, I buried my face into the pillow and…

"OW!"

I jumped up and clutched my cheek, it stung but nothing more, looking around I saw I was the only one in the room, Deidara wasn't lying next to me like he usually was,

I reached down and picked up the rose I'd poked myself with, and then the note it had been resting on, with one hand I unfolded it and scanned the words,

_Petal,_

_Sorry about last night, I've had dreams about you before and I've dealt with the consequences (erections in the morning) but I've never 'released' during one of them, guess you're just that sexy, huh?_

_Anyway; I left early because I promised Sasori I'd train with him even though I'd much rather be lying next to you watching you sleep._

_I stole that rose from Zetsu's greenhouse. Put it in a vase but don't add water, the way it wilts will mirror my art._

_Love Deidara._

_P.S; Sasori is here as I'm writing this and he made me put the 'love'._

I shook my head and twirled the rose between my fingers, careful to avoid the thorns and smiled; usually he bought me tulips or posies, I couldn't remember him ever giving me something like this;

Placing the rose back on my pillow I kicked the covers off and moved towards the bathroom. Upon emerging thirty minutes later wearing another pair of Deidara's pants and his shirt, I'd removed the netting from the lower half of it making it more of a baggy tank-top, I was shocked to see Konan sitting on the bed reading my note and fiddling with the rose,

"So Deidara had an erotic dream about you?" she asked, glancing up at me, I flushed,

"Y…Yeah"

"He wrote 'love'"

"Yeah, Sasori made him write it"

"Did he now?" Konan raised her dark blue eyes to stare at me, I nodded "hmmm"

"What?"

"Nothing. Come on. We need to find you a dress"

"But…Hey! You can't just start something then not finish it!" I jogged after the older blue haired woman as she stalked down the hall.

* * *

"Konan"

"Yes"

"Where did these come from?"

"Well. When a girl hits puberty her body releases hormones which-"

"I KNOW THAT PART!" I shouted,

"So why did you ask?"

"Because they were never this big before!"

"So you're saying they popped up overnight?"

"YES!"

"That's ridiculous Akina…"

"**It is not**! They've doubled in size overnight!" I cried, motioning towards my chest,

"I'm sure Deidara won't mind" Konan chuckled, flicking through another rack of dresses,

"Don't bring him into this!"

"Why not? He's your boyfriend isn't he?"

"I…Uh…I don't know!" I turned back to the mirror and stood up straight, the dress I was wearing at the moment was baby blue and almost floor length with a tight bodice around my top half to give me more of an hourglass figure, it was sleeveless and showed my cleavage, making my neck look long and slender, my arms were covered by arm warmers the same shade of blue as the rest of the outfit, around my neck was a star shaped necklace and a blue choker, Konan had placed a small blue tiara on my head and strapped on some blue high heels with small pink beads hanging from the straps,

"Your hips are terrible" Konan sighed, moving behind me to tug the bodice tighter,

"Narrow hips run in the family" I stated "my mom, my grandma and my great-grandma all had them"

"Hmmm" I let out a choking sound as the ribbons were secured,

"Can't breath…"

"It's a good thing you're a Kunoichi" Konan stated, ignoring me "if you weren't then you'd probably have too much fat on your body…Apart from your breasts"

"Hn"

"Yes I think this dress will do nicely"

I stripped the dress off and quickly clothed myself in Deidara's clothes, leaving Konan's room in an insecure slump. I hadn't made it five steps before someone shouted after me;

"HEY AKINA!"

I winced and slowly pivoted on my toes to face Kakuzu "yes…"

"I need you to make dinner tonight…And tomorrow…And all the meals for about the next three days actually"

"Why can't you-"

"Mission" he cut me off while crossing his arms,

"Oh…Okay. Why me?"

"You're seriously asking that question?"

"Never mind. Yeah I'll do it"

"Good. But don't expect me to pay you" his hollow green eyes glared at me,

"Wouldn't dream of it" I laughed nervously, he nodded and turned away,

"You should start around four; otherwise it won't be ready in time for five"

"Got it!" I saluted him and quickly scurried away to find something to do until four 'o' clock.

* * *

"Short-Stop?"

"Stop calling me that" I glared at the ex-Mist Nin in reply, he chuckled,

"What're you doing?"

"Well…Kakuzu has a mission so he's not gonna be here for the next few days and he's put me on kitchen duty!"

"What are you making?"

"Cookies"

"What?"

"Cookies" I repeated,

"We're having cookies for dinner?" he raised an eyebrow and I snorted,

"No that's silly. If we were going to eat sweets for dinner it would be ice-cream" I stated "this is desert. I don't know what I'm doing for dinner" I turned away from the mixing bowl and reached into the cupboard for the sugar,

"Here, let me get me Short-Stop" Kisame chuckled and reached over my head for the bag, I grumbled about the nickname "get over it!"

I sighed as he dropped the item into my hands "thank you" I turned away and measured the sugar before pouring it into the bowl "since you're here you can get me the milk"

"What?"

"Just do it!"

888888888888888888888**FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER**88888888888888888888888

"If Itachi asks I lost a bet" Kisame ordered, I giggled. It only took me five minutes to convince my 'little helper' to put on an apron and start tenderising the steaks,

"Yeah, yeah" I continued mixing the cookie dough while humming, despite his grumbles and protests it was easy to see Kisame didn't mind helping out, of course as soon as I found the steaks in the freezer he was more than happy to start bashing them in;

"I can see why Kakuzu doesn't mind doing the cooking" he chuckled, slamming his utensil into the meat again "this is a great way to vent your anger!" I laughed and began positioning the dough on the baking trays before slipping them into the oven,

"I think the meat is done Kisame!" I said, noticing how it was beginning to mince around the edges, he groaned and let me take it away "how about you cut up some vegetables"

"Fine" he moved towards the pantry and returned a few minutes later with an armful of assorted vegetables, he dumped them on the counter and sliced them quickly and equally in a way only a ninja knows how "now what?"

"I'll take it from here; you can go train if you want to but check back in half an hour"

"Why?"

"You get a cookie before dinner because you helped" I chirped, he grinned,

"Great! See ya in thirty!" he gave a short wave before tossing his apron on the table and exiting the kitchen,

I hummed a short tune as I began to boil the water for the vegetables, it remained silent for about twenty minutes, I checked on the steaks and flipped them over before washing my hands and setting the table, Kisame waltzed in just as I finished,

"Hey!" he greeted, I laughed,

"Someone likes their sweets, huh?"

"Who doesn't?"

"True" I shrugged "they're just about done but be careful cause they're hot" I tipped them into a bowl which I then held out to him "and when I say** one** I mean **one**!" I chided, he chuckled,

"What smells so good? Un" Deidara strutted in and glanced around, his eyes landed on the bowl in my arms and the cookie that Kisame was currently munching on "Oh cookies! Un"

Kisame plopped down in one of the chairs as Deidara moved towards me, he reached out towards the bowl but I twisted around and placed it on the counter "no. They're for after dinner"

"But Kisame got one! Un" there was a chuckle from behind,

"He helped me with dinner"

"But I'm your special guy! Un" he wrapped his arms around my waist and rested his chin on my shoulder,

"I don't play favourites" I slapped his hand away as it crept over to the cookies,

"Ow" he sucked on his finger as it began to turn red; I wriggled out of his grip and removed the boiling vegetables from the cooker to scoop them onto the plates,

"Dinners ready now so you might as well wait" I dumped the pot in the sink and pulled on my oven gloves to collect the steaks,

Deidara grunted but sank down in one of the chairs without argument; he crossed his arms as I finished handing out the food, pretty soon the rest of the Akatsuki, minus Kakuzu, Hidan and Sasori, had homed in on the kitchen due to the smell wafting down the halls, it took only a few seconds for them to take a seat and start devouring the food in-front of them, I took a seat between Deidara and Konan and ate quietly but quickly. Keeping an eye on the blond man who kept shifting in his seat and glancing at the bowl of sweets,

"There's a bowl of cookies over there if any of you want some" I informed everyone as I cleaned away the plates, there was a small silence before the scraping of chairs and a scuffle of feet, when I turned back around the bowl was half empty and the kitchen vacant apart from Deidara and myself "wow"

"Can I have the rest? Un"

"You're going to eat…" I paused to count them "seventeen cookies?"

"I can try! Un"

I reached into the bowl and grabbed some "you're going to eat seven"

"But, un, you only took four!"

"The last six are for Tobi" Deidara scowled as I took the treats and placed them on a separate plate "where is he?"

"I don't know" the blond snapped, taking his cookies from the bowl, I rolled my eyes,

"Fine, I'll give them to him later" I stored the plate in the fridge, three cookies in my hand while the forth was clenched between my teeth, I turned around only to crash into Deidara "hmmm" I glared up at him as angrily as I could with something hanging cutely out of my mouth, he grinned and leaned down, nibbling the cookie until he'd pressed his lips to mine, when he pulled back most of it was gone "hey!"

He chuckled "seven and a half, un"

I swallowed the last little bit in my mouth "more like seven and three quarters" he shrugged "what was that for?"

"I didn't get my kiss this morning! Un"

"Ah. So you decided to steal my cookie?"

"Pretty much, un" he wrapped his arm around my shoulders and guided me down the hall "did you find a dress?"

"Yeah" I looked back towards the kitchen "I didn't do the dishes…"

"Tobi will do them, un" I sighed,

"That's not very-"

"I don't care if it's fair or not, un. He's a subordinate, it's what he does"

I rolled my eyes "where're we going?"

"Back to my room, un. I haven't done anything artistic with you in ages…"

I laughed "okay…You are talking about sketching right?"

He suddenly looked quite deflated "yeah, sure, un. If that's what you want…"

* * *

Rose: I didn't want to finish it here but it'd be too long otherwise, review please!


	20. Mission Away

Rose: Thanks for the reviews everyone, I love you guys so much!

Disclaimer: No I don't own!

This is one of my longer chapters!

* * *

Slowly. Ever so slowly I lifted my arm and traced the tips of my fingers down Deidara's face, across his cheek and along the bridge of his nose before resting them on his lips; he made a small inaudible noise and puckered them. I removed my fingers and trailed them down his neck and collar bone and across his pectorals, at some point during the night he'd shed his shirt, my mouth parted slightly to draw in breath as my finger brushed through the fine hairs above his bellybutton. Pulling my hand back I clasped it to my chest and let my eyes flicker back up to his face,

He looked so different when he slept. More calm. More peaceful. More…Human. When he slept his face softened and he gained a more innocent composure.

The hand resting on my hip tightened slightly, his eyebrows furrowed and his nose scrunched up, I watched as his eyes lazily blinked open, he yawned and grinned tiredly at me,

"Morning, un" he stretched his body and I heard his bones crack,

"Hmmm" I rolled onto my side and stared at his shoulder, it rippled with every movement and I couldn't help but be mesmerised by it,

"Today's the day, un"

"Hmmm"

"Are you okay? Un, you seem a little…AH!"

I latched I lips onto the skin of his shoulder and began to suck and nip at it, I pressed my body flush against his and pushed him down onto his back, moving so I was straddling him, he gasped and raised his hips so his groin was pressing against my core,

Without removing my lips from his form I trailed sloppy, wet kisses up his neck before reattaching them back to their original spot. The blond man below me groaned lowly and flipped us over, resting his hands on my thighs and slowly trailing them up into my shorts, I gave a small squeak as his tongue ran over the curve of my ear and shivered as his chuckle rippled through my body,

"So my pretty Petal wants her first time to be in the morning, huh?" my eyes snapped open "a little unusual, un, but I'm not one to argue"

His hands dipped into the hem of my shorts, I yelped and shoved him away, an action which caused me to fall off the bed "I…I…I'm s…Sorry" I backed away from him "I…I don't k…Know what c…Came over m…Me"

_Great now I sound like Hinata!_

Deidara blinked and stared down at me from the edge of the bed "Petal? What's wrong? Un"

"I…I…I-" I felt my eyes well up and quickly scrambled to my feet and locked myself in the bathroom.

* * *

As I emerged a little while later I saw Deidara, still in his underwear, examining his left shoulder,

"You left a mark, un" he twisted his head to stare at me, I flushed,

"I…Uh…I'm S…Sorry"

"Don't stutter, un" the blonds eyes narrowed "it makes you seem weak and I like your fire" he turned his body fully around to face me, I chewed my bottom lip and nodded whilst keeping my eyes to the floor, they snapped up when I heard him approach me, I backed away into the wall as he neared,

"I…I think I should go see what everyone wants f…For breakfast" I didn't get a chance to dart around him like I wanted to because he dived forwards and pinned me to the bathroom door,

"And I think it's only fair that I extract revenge for my little 'wound' un" I gaped as Deidara knelt down and pushed up my night-shirt before pressing his lips to the skin above my bellybutton,

"AH! No not there!" I cried, clapping my hands over my mouth "everyone will see it" he raised his sky blue eyes up to mine and shrugged,

"Fine, un" I breathed a sigh of relief "I'll just do it somewhere else" my throat closed up in shock,

He pushed my shirt up higher and I couldn't will my arms to move as the bottom half of my breasts were revealed, he nipped at the sensitive skin in their valley and groaned, I gave a small squeak as he began to suck,

When he was done he removed his mouth and slowly dragged his tongue across the bared skin of my lower breasts, I whimpered and felt him stiffen before he pulled away and yanked my shirt back down, he grinned at me as he straightened up,

"Now we're even! Un"

* * *

After the two incidents after waking up I'd decided to avoid Deidara for the rest of the day and only remained in the same room as him for longer than three minutes when we had to get ready for his mission, as I emerged from the bathroom wearing my dress and with my hair curled and pinned I saw him fixing his cloak in-front of his mirror, I bit my lip and quickly shuffled past him towards the bed to put on my shoes,

As I passed him his head snapped up and he spun around so fast I thought his neck might break, I ignored his staring as I fastened the straps of my high heels around my ankles, standing back up I steadied myself and walked around the room a few times to get used to them,

"You are** the** sexiest thing I've ever seen, un" I looked over my shoulder, eyes wide and mouth agape, having forgotten Deidara was standing no more than five feet away I flushed a deep red,

"Um…Thanks?" he smirked,

"So how's that little mark I left on you? Un" I smirked back at him and crossed my arms under my breasts, plumping them up in a very Mina like fashion, Deidara's eyes were drawn to them and he didn't even bother to hide the blatant fact that he was staring, I tilted his chin up with my finger,

"My eyes are up here" I whispered before the said features glinted "how's the mark I left on **you**?" he cocked an eyebrow,

"Still there, un…And I'm hoping you'll leave many, many more on me…Just as I will to you" I choked and stumbled slightly on my way to the door, he chuckled and slipped his arm around my waist,

"Time to go, un…Tobi and Leader are probably waiting for us" he opened the door for me and let me pass through first, I glanced at him from the corner of my eyes…

_He's up to something!_

* * *

"Kunoichi" I flinched as the Akatsuki Leader, Pein, addressed me,

"Yes" I rubbed my arm nervously and shifted from foot to foot as I stood between him and Deidara in the grand ballroom, Tobi has disappeared…Probably off to snoop,

"Do you know your assignment?" Pein was tall with short, spiked up gingery-blond hair, down his nose he had three piercings on each side, seven on his ears and two fangs producing from his chin, his eyes had no real colour, just grey steel coloured rings surrounding the pupil…

"Yes" I nodded "I'm supposed to distract the…Rat"

"Good. How many seduction missions have you completed in your time as a ninja?" Pein watched me from the corner of his eyes; Deidara was pretending to be preoccupied with something across the room but both the Leader and I knew he was eavesdropping,

"I wish I could say I've completed hundreds. But I've only been sent on seven…My area of expertise was assassinations"

"You have the skills?"

"Yes"

"That's good enough…Soon the rat will approach us and attempt to gain my favour. When he leaves you shall give chase and-"

"And use my body to extract his secrets" I whispered, Pein nodded, disregarding the fact I'd interrupted him,

"Chase him into a corner and play with him like a cat would its prey" he ordered "do anything you want to him, short of fucking him" Deidara stiffened on my left,

I nodded "understood"

"Ah! Sire there you are!" a short, plump…Oh who am I kidding? **FAT** man waddled out of the crowd towards us, he bowed to Pein who hardened his eyes but the man didn't seem to notice,

This was the Rat?

"Good evening Taji" the fat man visibly bristled at the use of his name but kept his mouth shut,

He was wearing some sort of expensive brightly coloured suit, magenta if I had to guess. It didn't suit him as his face was bright red and his forehead shiny, I mentally grimaced, this man looked old enough to be my grandfather, he must have been at least in his sixties!

Deidara snorted and disappeared somewhere, Taji didn't seem to notice his departure or me. He kept his eyes trained on the Akatsuki leader who, at the same time, was analysing him, neither backed down for a few minutes and I could feel the tension. Eventually though Taji stepped away and bowed again "it's a pleasure to have you here in my humble abode" he straightened back up before stalking off in the direction he'd come from,

"Humble abode?" I scoffed "this room is almost half the size of the Hyuga compound!" that was an exaggeration but no-one cared "why is his house so big while the rest the rest of village looks to be living in poverty?" I stared up at the auburn haired male,

"He never used to be this rich. But he dabbled with some of our enemies in search of money"

"He sounds like Kakuzu" I mumbled, Pein nodded,

"Except Kakuzu has never attempted to betray us to enemy nations" I flinched "that is why you are so necessary. Without proof we cannot kill him, the death of a civilian with no real reason would cause an upset in the village"

"Oh" I whispered, nodding slightly,

"He's still greeting his guests. Do not speak with him. Wait for him to approach you first and then-"

"I know" I snapped in a moment of fury, he didn't have to keep treating me like a child "no offence **Leader**…But I am the Kunoichi here and I shall do it **my **way"

Pein chuckled and lowered his mouth to my ear "then chase down your prey, Little Cat" I smirked and turned on my heel in the direction of Taji with one last fleeting glance over my shoulder;

"Not all cats have claws"

* * *

My heels clicked on the shiny wooden floor as I approached the host of the party, he was surrounded by about half a dozen…Scantly clad....Women, I swallowed the lump in my throat and stalked past him, back straight, breasts pushed out and hips swaying sexily, I felt his eyes follow me and when I reached the other end of the room I opted to lean against the wall, my left arm behind my head to cushion it while my right leg was bent slightly for balance,

I watched as Taji pushed away the women fawning over him and slowly moved through the crowds, I turned my head away when he was about a foot from me,

"What's a charming woman such as yourself doing all alone" he smiled but from the corner of my eye I could see the smirk underneath it,

"Musing" I replied, not even sparing him a glance, he frowned,

"Surely you aren't here all alone?"

"No"

"Then where are your companions?"

"Around"

"Hmmm" Taji's frown deepened and I sighed loudly, letting my chest heave and fighting away the blush that threatened to mar my face, I was never a fan of seduction missions as I'd never been totally confidant with my body, I always hated the feeling of being looked at and treated like a piece of meat that was about to be fed to a pack of starving wolves...

"I'm sorry" I turned to stare at the dark haired man; his forest green eyes widened slightly "I'm not being a very good guest. I'm just…Distracted" I whispered the last word, letting my tongue dart out to dampen my lips,

"By what?" Taji feigned concern and interest but it was obvious the only thing on his mind was sex…And lots of it!

"I just feel so…Unfulfilled" I stood back up and walked seductively towards the (much) older man…At least I thought it was seductively…

He smirked "maybe I can…**Help** you with your problem, hmmm"

My hand swept over my own thigh while the other one rested on his shoulder "I'm afraid Taji…That I am not easy meat" I smiled and lost myself in the crowd once again, searching for the blond hair I knew all too well.

* * *

A pair of arms slipped themselves tightly around my waist "how'd it go? Un"

I twisted in Deidara's hold and pecked his lips "I caught his attention"

"Like you wouldn't, un" the blond chuckled, moving in for a deeper one with the excuse 'I didn't get mine this morning'…"any man would be a fool not to notice you"

I wriggled out of his hold and smiled, his hand was now resting in the small of my back "where is Tobi and your Leader?"

"Tobi is hiding among the guests in disguise, un, while Leader is…Around"

"Oh…He's coming" I nodded my head towards the older man fighting his way towards us,

"Stay with me, un"

"But-"

"There you are my dear" Taji broke through the crowd and smiled at me, when he saw Deidara his smile melted from his face faster than an ice cream on a hot summers day "good evening Deidara-Sire" he quickly bowed, Deidara grinned down at him,

"Ah, Taji, un. Have you met my wife? Akina" the blond motioned to me, his blue eyes sparkling, I smiled in understanding,

The look on Taji's face was priceless as it literally screamed "**fuck**!"

"So this is the most talked about 'Princess of Akatsuki'?" he chuckled nervously "what a rare and wonderful beauty you have Deidara-Sire"

I flushed and giggled into my hand, pressing my body to Deidara's side "thank you" Deidara's arm wrapped around my waist, forming the illusion that we were madly in love,

"So…So how long have you been married?" the other male asked,

"Almost nine months" I smiled, the blond man embracing me kissed the top of my head,

"Any children?"

Before I could answer Deidara jumped in "we're thinking about it, un" it took all my willpower to keep my smile in place,

"Ah…A strapping young lad to carry on your legacy? Or perhaps a charming lass to mirror the beauty of your wife?" Taji rested his hands on his fat hips, watching us with interest,

I gasped silently as Deidara's eyes darkened "a girl, un. Any son of mine would be nothing more than a monster" I didn't dare comment on the irony of his statement and Taji looked to share my sentiments, he quickly changed the subject of our conversation,

"So how did you capture the heart of this man Princess? Anyone would have thought you long gone by now" the dark haired man chuckled at his own joke,

"It was under unusual circumstances" I started, resting my hand on Deidara's chest "Deidara-"

"I had a meeting with the Lord of one of our allied countries, un" the blond interrupted "and Akina just happened to be there, as an artist I couldn't help but notice her! She enslaved my interest and I began my courtship of her" he smiled down at me and I kissed his jaw lightly,

"Of course…I made sure he had his work cut out for him" I lay my head on his shoulder, smiling lightly at the host of the party "I'm not an easy catch"

Deidara chuckled "but we all know I'm not one to give up so quickly, un. Eventually she fell for my charms and accepted my proposal"

"What an incredibly romantic tale" Taji clapped his hands together "and after all these months she's still here? Your wife really is something special!"

I laughed "yes well…Not all art is made up of fiery explosions now is it?"

"Ah ha! Your wife is a minx Deidara-Sire…Now I understand perfectly"

"Not a minx, Taji…A tiger" he whispered, I giggled.

* * *

Rose: This chapter is one of my longest, almost nine pages, I have a feeling they're going to get longer as the story progresses,

Review PLEASE!


	21. Deidara's Story

Rose: Look, I'm sorry it took so long but I had a stream of A-level exams to revise and get through, then we went back to begin our A2 stuff which is really hard. So I'm very sorry you had to wait but I want you to understand that...I HAVE A LIFE OUTSIDE OF WRITING! Sorry to yell but having a go at me because I haven't updated for X number of days, weeks or months is not going to make me do it faster. Thank you.

Disclaimer: Nah, I really wish I did but unless I suddenly become the richest person in the world and bought the company I don't think it's gonna happen!

* * *

"P…Princess? I don't think we should be…AH!"

I nipped at Taji's neck and smirked when he moaned, with a bit of 'persuasion' I was able to convince him to lead me up to his room where he assumed we'd have hot, steamy sex…But now he was backing out!

"What if your husband finds out?"

"Who's gonna tell? Besides…He doesn't satisfy me"

"Well…" his hands moved from the wall I was pinned against and gripped my hips "okay!" he grinned and untied the bodice, letting it drop to the floor, I smiled and helped him shrug off his shirt, forcing down the urge to throw up when he stood semi-naked in-front of me…This was just too gross!

I placed my hands on his chest and pushed him backwards towards his bed, a great king size with red and black silk sheets, I shoved him down on it and smirked "ready?" a small movement in the corner of the room caught my Shinobi eye and I saw Tobi suspending himself on one of the wooden beams, I winked and he nodded,

I crawled towards Taji and traced his non existent muscles…Oh God!

_I can't believe I'm saying this but…I WANT DEIDARA BACK!_

"How'd you like to stay with me?" he asked, I raised my eyebrows,

"What?"

He shrugged "I'm just saying…After tonight the Akatsuki won't really be much of a problem…"

"What do you-"

He leaned forward and whispered in my ear "this party was a ploy…In a few minutes Pein will be dead" I smirked and pinned him down, my dress was pushed up to the joint of my hips to allow me to straddle him "and the rest of the Akatsuki will follow!" he grabbed the back of my head and pressed his lips to mine, I felt my stomach lurch but kept my sickening urges down and allowed his tongue to slip into my cavern, regretting the action immediately! When he pulled back I attempted to milk more information from him…

"How could one man single handily bring down a powerful organisation such as-"

"I've been plotting against them for years!" he gasped as I sucked on his ear lobe and dragged the zipper of my dress down my back, I saw Tobi shift to the beam above the bed, I smirked,

"And yet you failed to realise that they are some of the greatest ninja in the world!" I used the bed as leverage to flip away as three Kunai dropped down from above and sunk into the older mans arms,

Tobi leapt down and approached me, ignoring Taji's screams "is Pretty Flower okay?" he asked, gripping my arms, I smiled and nodded, leaning forwards I rested my head on his chest, urging him to hug me, he did as I silently asked, his tall lean form wrapping around my small shivering one,

"Where're Deidara and-"

"Tobi called them. They'll be here soon"

I nodded and closed my eyes, trying to block out Taji and his curses "could you zip up my dress? I asked, sniffing quietly, a few seconds later my dress tightened as Tobi did as I asked,

He tightened his grip on me and I buried my face into the crook of his neck before shivering again. Tobi rubbed my back and glanced at the door as it was thrown off it's hinges,

"Hey, un" Deidara greeted and looked around, the first thing he saw was Taji pinned to the bed screaming before his eyes rolled to Tobi and I and his face reddened "Tobi..." he growled. I pushed away from the masked man, who reluctantly allowed me to, and moved towards the blond one, Deidara slid his arms around my waist and pulled me flush against his form, rocking me gently "are you okay? Un"

I nodded against his shoulder "yeah…"

"He didn't do anything to you? Un"

"No…"

"Good, un" he whispered, hugging me tighter, I closed my eyes and wrapped my arms around his waist in and attempt to get closer,

"I'm cold" I said quietly, Deidara responded by removing his cloak and draping it over my shoulders before holding me to his form once again, Tobi watched us, his head cocked to the side,

Apart from Taji's screams, there was complete silence in the room, Deidara would lean down to whisper in my ear or rub my back and Tobi fiddled with some of Taji's belongings, causing them to break. After about twenty minutes Pein strolled gracefully in and approached the bed with a grim look on his face, we moved so that we too were standing around the withering man, The Akatsuki leader looked at me first;

"Well?"

"He…He confessed" I started, pulling Deidara's cloak tighter around me in an attempt to feel safe "he said he'd been plotting against you for years and this party was a-"

"LIES!" Taji screamed, I flinched and the blond man embracing me kissed my temple "HOW DARE YOU SAY SUCH THINGS YOU FILTHY WHORE!"

Pein embedded another Kunai in the other man's stomach "your quarrel is with me. Not the Kunoichi"

"Hoe" Taji coughed, blood pouring from his mouth, his eyes glared at me before he moved them to the ginger haired man "you going to kill me Pein?"

"Not yet"

He laughed "you couldn't anyway…No proof"

"We have proof"

"Yeah…A slutty Kunoichi who cheated on her husband. Who's going to believe that?" he laughed before throwing up blood, he was unable to lean over the edge of the bed so it poured down his chin and cheeks onto his chest and the bed,

"Tobi" Pein motioned with his head for the masked man to come closer "show him what proof we have"

"Yes Sir" Tobi reached under his shirt and pulled out a small black box. A tape recorder. Taji's eyes widened in fear "shall Tobi play it?"

"Yes"

"_How'd you like to stay with me?"_

"_What?"_

"_I'm just saying…After tonight the Akatsuki won't really be much of a problem"_

"_What do you-"_

"_This party was a ploy…In a few minutes Pein will be dead" there was a slight pause and the rustling of material "and the rest of the Akatsuki will follow" _

"_How could one man single handily bring down a powerful organisation such as-"_

"_I've been plotting against them for years!"_

"Thank you Tobi" Pein moved his spiral like eyes towards the old man on the bed "just 'a slutty Kunoichi who cheated on her husband' you say?"

I glared at Pein for his choice of words but thought it would be wiser not to open my mouth, Deidara rocked me gently in his arms and continued to whisper soothing words in my ear to move my thoughts away from the harsh comments,

"Take him to one of our less…Sanitary cells" Pein ordered Tobi who saluted to him, and in a flash both Tobi and the captive were gone "Deidara"

The blond quickly stiffened his back but kept his hold on me "yeah? Un"

"I want to see both you and your Kunoichi tomorrow morning at ten. You know where I'll be" with that said Pein turned and left the room, Deidara and I followed him but when we exited into the hall he had disappeared, I fiddled with the bodice in my hands,

"What do you think he wants to see us for?"

Deidara thought for a moment "I don't know, un…If it was** just** me it wouldn't be a problem…But you as-well?" he stared at me, I opened my mouth to say something but a yawn cut me off, Deidara chuckled "you're tired, un. I'll carry you back"

"No, it's okay I'll walAHH!" the blond quickly scooped me into his arms "I hate you!" I stated he shook his head and kissed me cheek,

"Sure you do, un"

* * *

"Deidara"

"Hmmm?" I felt him roll over and drape an arm across my stomach,

"I can't sleep"

"What do you want me to do about it? Un"

"Tell me a story…" I shifted my body around to face him, he scowled,

"I'm not good with stories"

"Try" I lay my head on his shoulder and stared up at him, he sighed,

"Fine, un…What do you want to hear about?"

I thought for a moment "you!"

"What? Un"

I leaned over Deidara, using my arms as a cage "you" I repeated "you're always so secretive about yourself" my hair was falling down, shielding our faces from anyone who may happen to walk in,

He supported himself on his elbow and slipped a hand into my hair to bring my head closer to his, after a short, simple kiss he sat up properly and leaned against the headboard with me straddling his thighs "let's see, un…You know about my bloodline, the mouths?" I nodded "they can charge anything placed inside them, not just clay…" he winked at me "that's **my** special jutsu! My parents weren't Shinobi, un, they owned a clothing store and my dad used his mouths to charge the clothes he wove. Making them produce heat"

"That's really cool!" I gasped; Deidara flushed and scratched the back of his head,

"Yeah, un, I guess it kinda was. Anyway, no-one in my family had ever been a ninja but one day the Tsukikage came to our house and offered us money in exchange for me joining the Academy, un. Typically my parents refused but I overheard and jumped at the chance to become a Shinobi" I couldn't help but giggle because it sounded so adorable,

_Deidara? Adorable? God I must be high!_

"They weren't happy as they didn't have another son, only my little sister and she wasn't allowed to take over businesses"

"Why not?"

"Iwa law states that women can't own a business, unless they become Kunoichi there is very little else that they can do apart from get married"

"That doesn't seem very fair!" Deidara rested his hands on my hips and shrugged,

"Iwa wasn't, and still isn't, a very fair place, un. There're different rules for both men and women and quite often women come off worse…But back to the story, my parents practically ignored me after I started the Academy, my sister was due to be married soon and they would be left without an heir who could master their weaving technique"

"How old was your sister?"

"Ten, un"

"Ten!" I repeated "how old were you?"

"Twelve"

"But…Isn't ten a little young?"

"Like I said, un, if a girl doesn't become a ninja her only other option is marriage…My sister started her cycle early so she was to be married early, I didn't like her husband though. He was fifteen and a brute. My sister was kind and delicate, she used to love sitting down and letting me sculpt her…I was so sad to see her go"

Deidara suddenly looked quite downtrodden, I leaned forward to wrap my arms around his neck and kiss his cheek, he slipped his own around my waist and buried his face into my neck "what happened next?" I asked cautiously,

Still with his face buried he continued his story "she moved in with him and he promised me I could see her whenever I wanted, un. But every time I went over he always had some excuse to say no…A year went by and we got news that she was pregnant, he had to let us see her" his voice was cracking now and I could tell this was painful for him so I began to rock him in the same way he'd done to me before "when we saw her…It was horrible, she was pale and thin, she could barely move from the bed, un, she was covered in bruises, he'd been beating her!"

"What did you do?" I gasped; Deidara tightened his grip on me and sniffed,

"Nothing. I couldn't do anything, Iwa law states that a man is allowed to beat his wife and children if they wrong him" I couldn't help but flinch as I heard this "my sister…She was so weak that…That when the baby was born she…She couldn't even hold it. But the baby was weak as-well, and it died after only two hours" I kissed the blonds temple and rubbed the back of his neck "she was so close to death that my parents begged her husband to let them take her home but he refused and she…She died three weeks later"

"I'm sorry" I whispered, not just for his sister but for him in general, I'd made him tell this story to me and caused him this pain,

He shook his head "I was so angry. He didn't seem to care and even began looking for a new wife barely a month after her death"

"That's terrible!"

"That was when I learned that I could make anything charged with my Chakra explode, un, at first it was by accident, but then I discovered how to control it. By the time I was fourteen I already had my C1 clay mastered. And on the anniversary of my sister's death…I killed her husband. It felt so good to see him suffer, first I blew off his legs so he couldn't run, then his arms, and then I set off smaller bombs on his stomach and face. Eventually though I left and when I was long gone from his house. It blew up, un" I felt him grin against my skin, causing me to shiver,

He pulled his head away from me and stroked the side of my cheek, I closed my eyes and lay my hands on-top of his "then you became a Missing Nin?"

"No…I didn't become one until I was sixteen, un"

"Why?"

He shrugged "I don't know, un, I just couldn't stand to be there anymore…Too many bad memories" I nodded "by that time I had my C2 clay and I began to take jobs as a bomber for various people, I saw the art in it. How something that looks so plain and delicate could be so beautiful…Just like my sister. A year later I was recruited by the Akatsuki after being defeated by Itachi"

Unknown to my mind, my body had begun moving closer to the man in-front of me, I tilted his chin up and pressed my lips to his, he kissed back softly before burying his hand into my hair and wrapping the other around my waist,

"What was your sister's name?" I asked quietly as we pulled away, he locked eyes with me; his blond tresses hanging around his face made him look so different;

"Katsua" he whispered.

* * *

Rose: I felt this gave us a better look at Deidara's life and why he acts like he does and all that. Review please!


	22. Ultimatum

Rose: Hiya everyone! I hope you're all doing okay; I'm fine, a little tired and bored. WHY IS THERE NO SUNSHINE!?!?!?!?

Disclaimer: I hate having to do this. NO I DON'T FUCKING OWN NARUTO!

* * *

I mumbled to myself in my sleep and buried my face deeper into the pillows, laughing slightly as Naruto smacked into a tree,

My hair was brushed from my face and my body carefully repositioned, despite the tender movements I was roused from my light slumber, my eyes fluttered open before I yawned softly and stretched,

"Aw, you ruined it, un" I turned my head to see Deidara sitting next to the bed, sketchbook in hand, I smiled,

"What time is it?"

"Eight, un"

"Hmmm. Better go see what everyone wants for breakfast" I kicked the covers off and yawned again; Deidara slid off the chair and onto the bed while snaking his arms around me,

"You don't have to go, un. Not right now at least" his breath was hot against my skin though it caused me to shiver,

"Not unless you want everyone to burst in while you're trying to, unsuccessfully, seduce me" I managed to pry myself away and hide in the bathroom. Deidara seemed a little more…Horny than usual.

* * *

"Oh, oh, oh, oh! Pretty Flower!"

"Yeah Tobi?" I turned my upper body away from the stove towards the masked man who was jumping around the kitchen excitably,

"There is a message in Tobi's cereal…It says "ooooooo"

"Tobi those are Ninja-O's" I stated, he glanced from me to his bowl to Deidara, who had stopped in mid-sip of his coffee, Kisame, Itachi and then back to me,

"Tobi knew that!" he laughed, scratching the back of his head before quickly sprinting out of the room,

"And just when I thought he couldn't get any dumber, un" I rolled my eyes and placed pancakes down in-front of each of the men and left some on the side for the others, taking my seat next to the blond I began my usual tradition of shielding my food from them, after they finished I washed the used dishes.

* * *

"It's only half past nine" I stated, glancing up from my book to the clock, Deidara sighed "we need something to pass the tiAAAH!"

I suddenly found myself pinned to the bed, Deidara above me "I know something, un"

"If you're thinking what I think you're thinking then stop thinking" I rushed my words and some of them tumbled over each other, the blonds stuck out his lower lip,

"Aw c'mon, un, it won't take long…We'll probably have enough time to shower afterwards!"

"Hump!" I turned my head away "no"

"You don't want to do it with me? Un" looking back I glared at Deidara's 'how can you deny me?' face,

"Stop that!" I snapped "right now it has nothing to do with me not wanting to do it with you…In-fact, whilst I'm here you'd probably end up being my first choice" he cocked an eyebrow in an 'oh I'm good' kind of way "but it has everything to do with me not wanting my first time to be a quickie!"

"So we'll have a quickie now and do all that romantic…Stuff, tonight, un" he smirked and I scowled,

"No"

"Aw…Why not? You said I'd be your first choice" he lower his head to whisper the last few words against my ear, I emitted a small noise and shifted my body to press it lightly against his; his hand grazed my hip and fiddled with the hem of my pants "you're still wearing these? Un, even after I got you all those nice dresses?"

I laughed lightly "I like these better"

"Cause they're mine?"

I rolled my eyes "cause I like pants better. But if that's what you want to believe then by all means, believe" he sighed before sliding his palm across my stomach, I felt the tongue dip into my belly-button, causing me to groan,

"How's that mark? Un" the wondering hand slipped under my shirt to un-wrap the bandages, I squeaked but didn't voice my protest when he pushed the material aside to reveal the lower half of my mounds "looks pretty good, un. Still there"

I twisted my body and managed to pull my shirt back down to shield myself "stop it" I mumbled, he chuckled,

"That didn't sound to sincere, in-fact, un, it sounded a little…Forced!" I opened and closed my mouth while trying to think of something to say "admit it, un, you want me just as much as I want you. You just can't admit it because you think you'll be betraying your village"

"Wha…? I don't-" he pressed a finger to my lips to silence me and separated my knees with his own, placing himself between them,

"A little self indulgence never hurt anyone, un. You're too uptight, you need to relax" his fingers were moulding into my shoulders and back, I whimpered when he removed the finger from my lips to trace it down my collar bone "go on…Just say what you want and I'll give it to you, un"

"I want…"

"Yes?"

"I want you…"

"**Yes**?"

"I want you…To…

"Yes, yes, go on!"

"To…" I placed my hands on his shoulders, reality coming back to me "GET OFF!" I shoved him back to the end of the bed and grabbed my bandages "three times" I hissed quietly "three damn times this has happened" I turned my back to the blond and retied them quickly,

Deidara sighed "at this rate I'm gonna end up with erectile dysfunction, un" I snorted,

"Good, I am so sick of this happening"

"You love it really, un"

"Right"

"It feels good you know? Un" I crossed my arms and kept my back to him, I heard him shift closer "it'll only hurt for a minute, and after that it's nothing but pleasure" he whispered, I turned my head and tried to jump away when his hands clasped my hips and his knees locked down either side of me "I can show you, un, we don't have to go all the way for you to experience it"

I slapped him away "no means **no**" I snapped "not 'ask back in five seconds'"

"Geeze, un, what are you? A Nun? When I was your age I had a different girl in my bed every night"

"Well I prefer not to whore myself out" I snapped, Deidara sighed,

"This is…Grrr! I haven't gotten any since the week before I got caught by your damn village, un, I tell you it's not healthy for a man my age to go without sex!" he spun me round so I was facing him and clamped his arms around my waist to keep me from moving,

"So go find someone who'll give you some! I'm sure any of the women in Ame would be **honoured** to have you between their legs" I spat, turning my head away, the blond man growled loudly before stopping suddenly and letting out a sigh,

"What's wrong with having sex anyway?" he asked,

"There's nothing wrong with sex, per say…It's just that…I don't know…I always imagined it different"

"Different how? Un"

I shrugged "I had it planned, I'd remain an Anbu until I was in my mid-twenties, if I lived that long, and then I'd take a break…And if I ever did meet someone I'd only have sex with them if I really loved them" I turned my head to look at my fingers as they fiddled with the material of Deidara's shirt,

"That's a rather vague plan, un"

I shrugged "it's the stereotypical women's plan"

"Last time I checked you weren't a stereotypical women, un" I felt the rumble in Deidara's chest as he chuckled "you hate all that 'typical' stuff. You like to fight, live on the edge, you like to be in control and hate it when you aren't"

I snorted "and you'd just **love** it if I was in charge!"

"Hmm, why do you think I became so attracted to you back in Konoha? Un…I love it when the woman takes charge…Sometimes!"

"It's almost ten…" I mumbled, pushing away from the blond Iwa-Nin, he let me go and turned to look at the clock on the wall,

"Damn clock"

* * *

I breathed deep as Deidara and I watched Pein pace back and forth, the three of us were the only ones in the dimly lit room, water dripped from the roof. It was raining again,

"So, Deidara" the blond man behind me stiffened and squeezed my shoulders "you have yet to complete the mission I assigned you eight months ago?"

"It's taking longer than I originally thought, un"

"So I've noticed" Pein turned his spiralled eyes towards me "Kunoichi. You did well last night"

"Thanks" I said quietly, not meeting his gaze,

"Your skill and abilities are quite remarkable" he stepped down and tipped my chin up, paying no attention to my glare "even without Chakra"

"Again, thanks" I jerked my head back, away from his touch,

"How is that scar?"

I rolled my tongue back and let the tip finger a rough, horizontal scar with small circular ones either side. I'd literally bitten my tongue off to stop myself from spilling Konoha secrets when Sasori had injected me with his Truth Serum a few months before. Deidara had begged and bribed Kakuzu to sew it back on and Konan to heal it,

"Fine" Pein smirked,

"Deidara"

"Yeah? Un"

"I extend to you three more weeks to complete your mission"

"But…You said I had a year! Un" Deidara shoved me behind him and stepped towards his leader,

"And now I'm saying you have three weeks. Otherwise I'll-"

"I know, un, I know!" he cut Pein off "but eleven of those days I'll be on a mission…That only leaves ten! And I'll need some of those to recuperate! You can't expect me to just 'do it' right after a trek like that! Un"

"So you better get started, and trust me, I'll know if you haven't done it because I'll have Konan check"

* * *

"What was he talking about?" I asked once we were back in Deidara's room, he cocked an eyebrow at me and chuckled,

"I was originally given a year to get you to sleep with me, un. But now that's been cut down to three weeks"

"And why would Pein even **care** if I slept with you?" I backed away as the blond approached me, trapping me against the wall,

"Why do you think virgins are never sent on sex related missions? Un" he smirked as he leaned down towards my ear,

"Because they have no experience. Duh!" I rolled my eyes and ducked under his arm before spinning around to face him, he crossed his arms behind his head and leant against the wall,

"And…" he pushed,

"And what?"

"God, for someone so smart you sure can be dumb, un" he snorted,

"What?"

"You don't want to sleep with me, because you think you'll be betraying your village…But you aren't the only one who thinks that"

"Wha…?"

"If a virgin Kunoichi sleeps with her enemy…Willingly…It's counted as an instant betrayal to her village"

"So Pein wants me to…To…" I clasped my hands over my mouth, unable to finish the sentence; Deidara nodded,

"Yeah…Leader wants you to do it because then you'll never be able to go back to your village and you'll be forced to remain here, forever, if we let you go without forcing you to betray them then you could tell them everything, you know far to much, I however, want you to because together we'd create the most beautiful art form ever known!"

"No. No" I shook my head "I refuse to do…**That**…With **you**! No! You won't rape me so I'm safe!"

"You didn't think there wouldn't be an alternative did you?" the blond man stretched before flopping down on the bed, staring up at me calmly,

"What are you on about?" I asked, moving closer to him,

"I won't get in trouble if you don't sleep with me. But you…"

"What'll happen to me?"

"The subordinates will get you, un"

"Get me?" I repeated "you mean they'll…"

"Yep, un, I'll lose you and the subordinates get a new…Plaything, as they like to say" he turned his head and raised his eyebrows at me, I sunk down on the edge of the bed, head in my hands "but starting tomorrow I have a mission that's gonna use up eleven days, un, leaving ten, not including tonight, to do it"

"No, no, no, no!" I cried quietly "this isn't happening! This isn't happening!"

Deidara sat up and pulled my back into his lap "oh, it's happening alright. You only have two options. Me…Or the subordinates, and trust me, un, you don't want them!"

I shook my head "there has to be another way!"

"There isn't. Either you give me your virginity willingly, or you give it to the subordinates forcefully, un" his whisper was cold and harsh against my ear, I clutched at my chest, it suddenly felt tight!

"I…Can't…Breath!" I sobbed "my…Chest!" everything started to look blurry and dark around the edges "my…Chest!" I slipped off the bed onto my knees, still scratching at my shirt, everything felt like it was closing in on me!

"Petal? Akina?" Deidara grabbed my arms and dragged me back on the bed, my eyes snapped open and I kicked him away,

"No, no! Stay away!" I curled up and buried my face in my arms "no, no, no!"

"Holy…" he backed away and I heard the door slam…After a few minutes my chest loosened and I could breathe properly again, the door opened and Deidara returned with Konan in tow. She took my temperature, checked my pulse and breathing rate all without saying a word. When she was finished she turned to the male and simply said;

"Panic attack"

Before walking out again. Deidara turned to me, panting and sweaty on the bed. I stared wide eyed at the ceiling, where some of his sculptures were hanging,

"Panic attack? Un, you had a panic attack!"

I sat up and rubbed my face, wiping away the tears "I don't believe it! I'm a bloody Anbu captain and I can't even figure out a way out of this!" I began to rock back and forth, sobbing quietly, Deidara gripped my shoulder tightly,

"It has to be done, un"

My shoulders shook "b…But…Why?"

"How else can we be sure you won't try to escape? Un" I sobbed again "I'll be gentle…I won't rush you" he bent down to whisper in my ear "I'll go slow, un, at your pace"

"F…Fine!" I cried.

* * *

Rose: OMG! Is she really gonna do it? And now you all know why Deidara is so desperate to sleep with Akina. OMG!

Next time: Will Akina go through with it? And what's this mission Deidara has to go on that's gonna take so long? Find out in the next chapter!


	23. Akina's Answer

Rose: Thanks for all the reviews people…Things are starting to get hot! Will Akina go through with it? Read on and find out!!!

Disclaimer: OC's and the plot! Whoop! Whoop!

* * *

The rest of the day passed slowly and I moved as if in a constant dreamlike state, by the time night had fallen I'd just finished making a curry for dinner, as usual the men and Konan wolfed it down without letting it cool. Resulting in some rather funny moments where they all scrambled to get a glass of water,

I was filling the sink to wash the dishes when I felt someone grab my hips, knowing who it was I involuntarily relaxed and let Deidara rest his chin on my shoulder to observe me working,

"I got a surprise for you, un" he whispered, I nodded slowly but felt him frown against my skin "don't come into our room for about two hours, I don't want you to see what I'm doing, okay?" I shivered as he referred to his room as 'ours',

"Yeah" I whispered, he pecked my cheek before moving away,

"You're gonna love it, un. Trust me"

I heard his footsteps fade down the hallway, leaving me alone in the kitchen once more,

_First he wants me as close as possible and now he doesn't want me anywhere near him…Well that's fine with me. Just as long as I can delay the inevitable!_

I finished drying the plates and bowls before folding the dishcloth and setting it on the side, still in my 'out-of-it' state I strolled down the halls towards the living room, right now most of the members of the Akatsuki would be in their rooms doing whatever;

I sighed and sat down on the couch with one of the books I'd pulled from the shelf by the doorway, flipping it open to the first chapter I sunk down into the pillows and flittered my eyes across the words. Not really taking them in but using them to forget my current situation.

* * *

"Pretty Flower!" I raised my eyes from the book to see Tobi hopping through the archway, even with the mask I could make an accurate guess that he was grinning,

"Yeah Tobi?" I dumped the book on the table and watched as the masked man placed a games board next to it,

"Will Pretty Flower play with Tobi?"

"Sure" I nodded, sliding off the cushions and onto the floor opposite him; I folded my legs under me and waited for him to finish setting up the chess pieces,

"Does Pretty Flower want to be whites or blacks?"

"Blacks" I said quietly, Tobi cocked his head to the side,

"Is Pretty Flower okay?" I jerked awake suddenly and smiled at the male,

"Yeah, fine. I'm just a little tired"

"Hmm…Maybe Pretty Flower should go to bed"

_I would want nothing more than to go to bed! WITHOUT DEIDARA!_

"I will. In about half an hour" I watched as Tobi moved his Pawn forward two spaces, I took my Knight and jumped him over the front line in it's distinctive 'L' shaped style "I didn't know you could play chess"

"Tobi can play!" he whined,

"I just didn't peg you as a chess player" I whispered, smiling lightly, Tobi 'humped' and quickly jerked another Pawn across the board.

* * *

I took a deep breath and lay my hand on the door handle. Quickly swallowing the lump in my throat I pushed it open and stepped in slowly. Shutting it behind me,

My eyes widened as I took in the sight before me; Deidara had covered the window in a small red satin sheet, and changed the bed clothes so that they too were red, rose petals were strewn all across the bed and floor and candles were placed in corners and on-top of the wardrobe and the dresser, giving the room an unearthly glow. Making it seem almost warm despite how cold I felt,

I almost didn't see the blond man sitting on the bed, hidden away in the shadows, he was wearing his mesh shirt and pants, his sandals discarded somewhere in the room and his hair had been pulled out of its usual style so that his locks draped around his face and down his back, his scope had been removed too,

"Do you like how I decorated? Un"

I nodded slowly, keeping my eyes on the floor, I clenched them shut as I forced myself to walk towards the bed, he pulled me down slowly before lifting my legs up by my knees and separating them,

I bit my lip when I felt his weight hold me down, he took my wrists and held them near my head with one hand while the other slid my shirt off, I shook violently and felt him pause "calm down, un" he leaned forwards and kissed me but it didn't stop me from panicking,

I gulped when my shoes were removed and my pants slid down my thighs, it all lay on the floor in a pile; I couldn't help but whimper as my bandages were undone and Deidara pulled them away, I was trying to distract myself by running a hand up and down his back and chest, he groaned before lowering his mouth to my breast and licked and sucked the left one with his own lips whilst using his hand on the other, I gave a small moan and he continued downwards but as soon as the warmth left my breasts I started to cry, he moved back up quickly and kissed me "it's okay" he breathed, stroking my cheek, I whimpered quietly, he continued to comfort me but removed my final article of clothing as he did, I cried out as the cold air surrounded me.

He pushed away from me and sat back on his knees, tugging his shirt over his head and kicking his pants off before staring down at me, I sniffed quietly "I don't want to"

He kissed my eyelids and wiped the tears away "I know, un" his eyes washed over me again "you're beautiful…So beautiful-"

"A work of art" I finished for him lowly "I wish you'd blown me up"

"We're going to make a more wonderful art form, don't worry. I'll try not to hurt you" his hand slipped down my stomach and between my thighs,

"NO!" I cried, wriggling away, he attached his mouth to my breast and pressed his palm to my core, I knew where this was going. And before I could stop myself my back arched and I moaned as the tongue shot out and tried to fill me "Dei…Deidara!"

"Shhh…It's okay, un" I panted as I felt the muscle inside me stroke my walls and the blond man above me roll his palm into me, I clenched my teeth and hissed out a groan as I felt my insides tighten. My first orgasm by someone else. Deidara pulled the slurping hand away and nuzzled my neck "that's my girl…Not so bad was it?"

I didn't answer and lay panting, my skin shining lightly with a sheen of sweat, what he had just done was wonderful and I wanted him to do it again but…I clenched my eyes shut when he pulled back again to remove his underwear…I couldn't do this…

"Wait!" he froze and I felt his eyes watching me "I…C…Can't-" I cut myself off and started to struggle, causing the blond to wrap his body around mine,

"Calm down, calm down…"

"No…I can't…!"

"Relax, un"

"I can't!" my lip was bleeding from how deep I'd sunk my teeth into it and my eyes hurt from how hard I was clenching them "I can't d…Do it…S…Stop!"

"Shhhhh!" he bent down to whisper in my ear "just relax…I'll be gentle!" he kissed me again,

"N…No! P…Please…Please stop…Please Deidara!" I snapped my neck to the side causing our lips to break apart, this was the only time I'd ever truthfully begged him and he knew it.

He sighed "fine, un" I whimpered in response and only allowed myself to relax when he moved away, I grabbed the blanket I was lying on and wrapped it around my form, I shivered and kept my blurring eyes on my bare feet, Deidara was sitting on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands "now what're we going to do?" he looked back at me and I shrugged,

"Can't you get me drunk or something? I'm pretty sure I have a low tolerance" I said quietly,

"Kisame and the others drank the last of it when we were at that party. We won't get any more for a while, un"

"Oh"

He sighed again "great…Just great"

"Sorry" I mumbled lowly "I want to…But I…Just can't"

"You **want** to? Un" the blond looked up at me in shock, blue eyes widening,

"Well…I don't want to be some **toy** for your subordinates" I snapped, but soon after I turned away and flushed "and I know once we do it we'll never have to do it again" I added quietly,

"Oh…"

"Where do the subordinates live anyway?" Deidara leaned back against the wall and blew some hair out of his face,

"In the lower levels of the base. Only Tobi really has the balls to come up, un"

"Oh" that seemed to be the word of day; there was an awkward silence, in which I watched a candle flame flicker in the darkness and Deidara stared at the door, trying to think of a plan,

"Can't you imagine I'm someone else? Un"

"I don't have anyone to imagine you as" I whispered, he gaped at me,

"No-one? No-one at all? Un" I shook my head "haven't you ever had a-"

"Of course I've had boyfriends…But it never got to the point where we'd…Get close…Like **that**!"

_Oh how I regret not saying 'yes' to Gaara right now! DAMNIT!_

"Oh…They broke it off?"

"Only one did. When I wouldn't do it"

_Never knew Gaara was so superficial! Of course he probably linked sex with love so…Damn…If only I'd seen him once more before being kidnapped, I wanted to reconsider and get back together!_

Deidara sat up and surveyed me closely "are you **scared **of sex? Un" he asked, eyebrows furrowed, I snorted quietly,

"Aren't all girls at first?"

"Well…Yeah, un. But I've never met a girl who had a **panic attack** at the **thought** of it!"

I shrugged "and?"

"You've got a freaking phobia of sex! Were you molested or something! Almost raped maybe?"

"No…And I'm not scared of sex. I'm scared of betraying my village!"

"That makes sense, un" he sighed and flopped down next to me, his arm draped across his eyes "what are we going to do? I'll be damned if I'm letting you become some freaking toy for the subordinates…Bunch of ungrateful…Word I can't say!"

"Is our bet still on?" I asked,

"Yes, un"

"Oh"

"Why? Un"

"I just forgot about it until then" I shrugged,

"Alright. I've got an idea…We won't do it tonight. But we'll sleep naked!"

I shook my head frantically "what? NO!"

"I've already seen you, un" he rolled his eyes,

"Well…I haven't seen you!" I shook my head,

"Just let me get rid of-" he reached down to his boxers, ready to yank them off despite the rather large tent,

"NO. STOP! I don't want you to!" I covered my eyes with a pillow,

"Okay, un. You don't have to see it. Just let me get rid of it and then we'll go to bed"

* * *

"I regret this. I regret this. I regret-"

"Calm down, un, I'm not doing anything!"

"Your hand is licking me!"

"I can't control that. You obviously taste nice, un"

I buried my face in my pillow and groaned. Deidara had one arm under me, wrapping around just under my breasts, while the other one was on my hip, his nose had lodged itself in the joint of my neck and shoulder and his front was flush against my back, I felt 'it' twitch against my backside every few minutes, as if Deidara was fighting down another erection,

"What time do you leave for your mission?" I asked, my voice slightly muffled by the pillow,

"Six. And while I'm gone, un…I want you to imagine the two-" I cut him off by ramming my elbow into his stomach…The way he was saying it was obviously meant to be seductive, but it just made me want to gag!

"Not gonna happen?" I craned my neck to glare at his mop of blond hair, the only part visible from my angle,

"It'll help, un. Trust me!"

"I'm getting pretty sick of the way you keep saying 'trust me' when I know I shouldn't!" I grumbled, Deidara chuckled, and quickly leaned up to kiss me,

"Goodnight, un"

* * *

I felt someone trace their fingers across my cheek before they were replaced by a pair of lips on my own, I emitted a small moan and my eyes fluttered open, meeting some blue ones,

"Deidara?" I whispered, he blinked,

"Just grabbing my kiss before I go" he replied, leaning back in for another kiss "go back to sleep" I nodded tiredly before closing my eyes and relaxing. Almost immediately I was asleep once more.

When I woke up again a couple hours later Deidara was gone and the sun was breaking in through the gap in the curtains, I sighed and stretched before slipping out from the covers and dressing, moving towards the kitchen. Hidan and Kakuzu were due back any day now but Itachi and Kisame were getting ready to leave for a mission in two days time,

"Akina!" the Kiri-Nin grinned "could you do your motherly duties and make us some sandwiches?"

"I was joking about that you know?"

"Yeah. And?"

I shrugged "no reason, fine, fine. I'll make you some sandwiches"

He ruffled my hair so much that it would need to be re-brushed "thanks short-stop!"

"No problem"

He and Itachi left to finish packing whist I buttered the bread and filled them with turkey slices and ham with salad, I wrapped them up in cling-film and packed them into the fridge. With a sigh I brushed my hair out of my face, with my vision renewed I saw Tobi standing in the doorway, a book in his hands "Pretty Flower?"

"Hmm?"

"Tobi found a photo album"

"Oh? Is it yours?" I moved closer to the masked man and took the book from him, tracing my fingers over the golden words on the cover "this is…"

"Deidara's!"

"Tobi where did you get this?"

"Tobi found it"

"Where?"

"Under a stone plate in the hallway. So…Will Pretty Flower look at it with Tobi?"

"Okay Tobi, I'll look at it with you"

He laughed and led me to the living room; I sat with my legs curled under me and the album on my lap. Tobi sat next to me at a close proximity, chin almost on my shoulder, opening up the first page I saw a pretty blond woman holding a small baby with a dark haired man standing next to her, both were grinning broadly at the small bundle,

The next page had the small baby in it, it was obvious now that the child was Deidara, it had his blue eyes, blond hair and the mouths on his hands, he took after his mother in every way; he was sitting on a rug playing with some modelling clay, I smiled,

"Typical Deidara" I turned the page at Tobi's insisting, Deidara was much older, he was sitting next to his mother on a bed, holding a pink blanket and grinning widely, his mother had her arm around him and his father was watching happily,

The next few pictures showed Deidara and his sister as they grew older, there were very few photos that didn't have one without the other, but the last few were different. One had Deidara graduating from the Academy, another had him becoming a Jonin, then there was his sisters wedding. She looked much older than ten. With her darkened hair tied up in a bun and blue eye shadow framing her blue eyes she could have passed for fourteen easily; she was wearing a dark blue Kimono with pink flowers decorating the hem, her new husband was next to her. Whist she was smiling and laughing he was glaring at her, Deidara was on her otherside, snarling at his new brother-in-law whilst their parents smiled and grinned in the background.

The very last picture showed Deidara as a mid-teen, quite possibly the photo was taken only days before he fled the village. He was standing tall, clay pouches at his hips and hair tied back in a pony-tail. He was wearing a mans Kimono shirt and a pair of pants, his face was expressionless but his eyes were fierce and cruel, I'd seen that look a thousand times, he was planning something,

"Ohh!" Tobi giggled "wasn't Deidara such a cute baby!" he burst out laughing and fell back into the pillows clutching his sides, I smiled,

"Yeah, it's hard to believe" Tobi continued to laugh "Tobi, you know he can't know we've seen this right?"

He nodded "Tobi knows! Tobi will put it back!" he rushed out of the room to do his promised job.

* * *

Rose: That's it for this chapter, I hope you liked it! Review please.


	24. On the Road Again

Rose: Yeah, sorry it's been so long, but I couldn't think of how to continue writing this, I have the entire thing planned out but it's just the little things I need to work on, okay let's start!

Disclaimer: We all know!

* * *

Deidara said try and imagine the two of us…Doing it. Okay, okay, okay I'm gonna try…I am!

I'd just finished my 'Deidara's-not-here-so-I-can-finally-relax-in-a-bath' routine which involved being able to soak for ten minutes, so now seemed like the perfect time to try. Especially since there was no chance of anyone barging in. The only people still here were Zetsu, Tobi, Pein, Konan and the subordinates.

Okay…Where do I start?

I closed my eyes, yep, always a good idea when imagining things, suddenly he was there, in the bath across from me, thank God this thing was round and deep so I couldn't see his…Back to the point. He was grinning sexily and stalked towards me.

How can someone stalk in water?

Why did I say sexily?

Hands on my thighs he pulled me closer and licked the water droplets from my collar bone, I gave a small moan and arched my back, practically giving him permission to my breasts, he placed one of his hands on one and on the other his mouth and moved his remaining hand down between my legs, I felt the tongue lick the outer lips before sliding inside,

Whoa! Slow down. Okay, need time to think…What happens now? Surely we don't just go straight into it? No, no. More foreplay…Who am I kidding, I just don't wanna imagine it cause I'm afraid I might like it…Curse Deidara and his sexiness…I didn't say that.

He moved away from my breast and kissed me, softly at first and then getting a bit rougher, I moaned and felt him settle between my thighs, and oh God I could feel him! How big was he in real life? I'd only ever felt it once…And that was for like…Five seconds! I've never seen it! I don't want to! Damn it. This was a bad idea. Very, very, bad idea…Aw but he looks so good in my mind, that reassuring look on his face and those beautiful eyes and hair that you can grab onto and tangle your fingers in!

He shifted his hips and-

My snapped my eyes open and I leapt from the bath. Too close. Too close. I'm never doing that again. My mind had just betrayed me and left to join Deidara…My body betrayed me months ago…Now there was just my heart. Which I was not about to let go of!

* * *

"Tobi" I whispered, jabbing him on the shoulder, he'd fallen asleep on the sofa and Zetsu would kill him if he found him here again, but it was two in the morning so I had to wake him up quietly…Which is pretty redundant when I think about it "Tobi wake up…I need you…In a brotherly kind of way, not the other way!"

He groaned and opened his visible eye "Pretty Flower?"

"Tobi you're in the Living Room, you remember what Zetsu said when he found you here last time?" he nodded "good, so c'mon let's get you back to your room" I helped him stand "but be very quiet"

"Why is Pretty Flower not in her room asleep?"

"I can't sleep in my bed tonight"

Darn dreams. Darn Deidara. Darn everything!

"Does Pretty Flower want Tobi to sleep with her tonight?" I nodded "good, then we shall go to Pretty Flowers room and-"

"No, no, no" I hissed "I just said I can't sleep there…And what if Deidara comes back and finds a strand of your hair that we missed or smells your scent? We have to go to your room"

"B…But Tobi's room is downstairs. Pretty Flower doesn't want to go down there"

"They'll all be asleep" I said, fully understanding what he was referring to,

Tobi looked thoughtful for a moment before finally nodding "okay, Pretty Flower can sleep in Tobi's room"

"Thank you Tobi" I kissed his temple, the only part not covered by the mask, he took my hand and led us down past all the main members rooms, just before we reached Pein's at the end of the hall we turned sharply down a flight of steps where the temperature dropped drastically, Tobi's room was right at the end down another flight of steps,

"Tobi gets a room all to his self cause no-one is allowed to see Tobi's face"

"So you don't always sleep with your mask on?" I asked, he shook his head,

"Only on missions and when around other people"

"Do you want me to wear a blindfold or something? It's really not fair to make you keep that on all night, it can't be comfy"

"Pretty Flower can do as Pretty Flower wishes, and Tobi will do as Tobi wishes" I nodded,

"Okay Tobi"

* * *

"Wow"

Tobi's room was big. Bigger than Deidara's…And luxuriously decorated. He'd said that the rooms were made to keep up to five subordinates, and because he was on his own he could use his money to decorate how he liked, but Tobi's room was really far away from the rest of the subordinates, three floors below the main members and one below the subordinates, his room was the only one on this floor,

The bed was four poster and covered in red silk sheets with feather pillows and mattress, if this is what a subordinate could afford why couldn't the main members? Of course, Deidara always bought art supplies and spent loads of money on me, Sasori didn't really sleep much and had kitted his room out to house all his puppets scrolls and latest works, Kisame had an aquarium along one wall of his room so that must take some upkeep, Kakuzu was tight so he probably saved all his cash and Zetsu liked his flowers, Hidan…I didn't want to think what Hidan used his money on, prostitutes probably, and Ame had a wide selection of those. Itachi might have spent his money on something like this, I could imagine him wanting to be comfortable considering his upbringing,

The only thing Tobi did to get ready for bed was remove his scarf, arm guards and shoes, I stood awkwardly next to the bed, he seemed different in his own environment, not like when we were camping, he stared at me "is Pretty Flower going to sleep on the floor or with Tobi?" I jumped and crawled under the thick covers, they'd need to be down here, to save him the trouble of sleeping with his mask I ripped the bottom part of my (Deidara's) night shirt off and tied it around my eyes like a sleeper mask, when it was secure I fell back into the pillows and felt Tobi shift beside me, a small noise told me he'd placed the mask on the bedside table,

"Night Tobi" I yawned "thank you"

"Night, night Pretty Flower"

* * *

Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap! Why does this always happen? You fall asleep on the other side of a tent or bed to some guy you think of as a friend and the next morning you're cuddled up like lovers…Happened to Naruto and I all the time on missions,

This wasn't as bad as I thought, I just couldn't remove the blindfold cause I would see Tobi's face, which was lying sideways on my stomach, his hair was bloody long, longer than I'd thought, it kept tickling me…Crap, I wonder how good Deidara's sense of smell is? Would he be able to smell Tobi on me if I took a bath? What about two? A day? Aw crap he's moving!

Tobi turned on his side and wrapped his arms around my hips; I laughed quietly "Tobi's a sleep-pervert, haha!"

* * *

I'd managed to escape when Tobi had jerked to the other end of the bed suddenly, I'd ripped off my blindfold and crept from the room, not looking back so as to keep my promise to the man. The stone tiles were cold against my bare feet and the air caused the skin of my legs, stomach and arms to turn a slight blue hue.

I froze in mid-step when I heard laughter ahead; I'd already cleared two staircases and was making my way to the one that would take me to the main part of the hideout when three subordinates turned the corner, they looked pretty descent. Not the scar-covered, brutish type I'd expected from the way Deidara often described them, the middle one looked about his age, maybe a bit older, with dark blue hair and black eyes, his two buddies were twins, both with green hair and eyes. They were wearing an outfit similar to Tobi's but without the arm guards or scarf. They paused when they saw me and the middle one grinned "hey…You're Deidara's girl right?"

The one on his right sniggered "yeah. The Akatsuki's new 'princess'"

"What's the matter sweetheart?" the middle one moved closer to me, I would've backed away but I didn't want to show any fear, even though my mind was telling me to run back to Tobi's I knew I'd never make it without Chakra "what're you doing down here? Deidara not doing it for you? Need a real man?"

I frowned in disgust "as if" not caring how he read into the comment I shoved him aside and continued on my way to the stairs, but he grabbed my wrist and yanked me back. I lost my footing and fell back into his arms,

"Easy darling. Plenty of time for that later…So tell me, if you're not down here looking for a good fuck, why are you down here?"

"I was visiting a friend" I hissed, breaking out of his hold "now if you'll excuse me!" he grabbed me again, this time pawing at my body "let go!"

"Not until I show you how much better I am then Deidara…In every manor possible" I turned and punched him in the jaw. The pressures and pains of the past few days building up in my mind, everything was just going wrong. I knew for sure after meeting this guy I didn't want to be their new 'toy'. But I also knew I didn't want to sleep with Deidara,

His two buddies sprinted towards me; I dodged their chakra infused punches, knowing if even one hit me I'd be done for. All the ninja training I'd previously shut away came flooding back, I span on my feet, kicking one in the head, he smacked the wall and fell unconscious, I growled at his brother and the other guy who was now holding his jaw "get lost. Or I'm gonna tell Deidara what you tried to do"

_I hope they don't realise I'm bluffing…_

Despite his big talk before, the dark haired guy paled and quickly made a hasty escape, his buddy grabbed his brother before following suit. I ran a hand through my hair and continued on my way to Deidara's room to take a warm bath and get dressed.

* * *

I sighed, Tobi had been trailing me all day, apparently after waking up to see me gone he'd assumed the worst and gone to look for me, he'd found the three guys from before and they'd told him I'd gone back up to the main base. Now he'd decided that while Deidara was away he was to be my guard. Making sure nothing happened to me. He'd sat at the kitchen table with his chin resting on his hands watching me cook breakfast and afterwards had helped me with the washing up and with making snacks. And when we'd just put the finishing touches on something I'd decided to make for Deidara upon his return, Zetsu had entered the room, stating to Tobi that they were needed in the field near Sasori and Deidara to act as spies,

Tobi claimed he couldn't go. That he couldn't leave me unguarded with just Hidan and the Leader around (I didn't quite get the bit about the Leader but decided not to push the subject) I could see an argument brewing and stepped in "I could go with you. That way, I wouldn't be here 'unguarded' and I could help you with your spying"

"You've had your chakra blocked off. You wouldn't be able to keep up unless you were carried. And Tobi won't be able to run at his full potential with you on his back"

"You aren't calling me fat are you?"

"Then again, Deidara would probably be quite pleased to see you sooner than expected after his hard mission. _**Hehe. You could offer him some relief**_. Don't be rude. _**How is she going to get there?**_" the two toned Grass-Nin thought for a moment "I'll carry her underground with us,

"Uh…" I held my hand up to argue,

"Of course once we got to the site we'd need to stay for a few days until they got there, and then until the sealing had been completed"

"What?"

"Alright. Go pack some essentials. _**Quickly!**_"

* * *

Tobi and I pitched up the tent as Zetsu had needed to leave to 'clean something up'. Typical, we'd just arrived at our destination and he leaves "it's been four days since Deidara and Sasori and us left the base. They should be here tomorrow cause they probably rode Deidara's bird most of the way. And they started earlier...Yes, they'll be here soon. But we won't see them for another three days after that"

"What? Where were they going?" I looked up from the finished third tent and towards the masked man,

"Tobi can't say" I frowned but dropped the subject, we'd set up three tents for when they joined us as we wouldn't be leaving without the two of them. We were just south of a deep canyon with a river at the bottom and hundreds of logs positioned between the two walls, like a kind of support system, we were next to a smaller but deeper river with some flat rocks in the middle of it, so we had plenty to drink as there were no villages around and lots of animals would come here so we had food too.

I fished around in my back-pack and pulled out a small tupperware box, I tied a piece of string around it and submerged it under the cold river water, securing the end around a small tree root "that should keep it fresh" I nodded, dipping my feet into the clear liquid beside it, I sighed loudly "this feels nice, even though it's the beginning of November it's so hot here"

Tobi giggled "we're on the borders of Wind and Fire" my eyes widened, Wind and Fire? Why were we here? I glanced back at the man who was watching me carefully. He wouldn't tell me; he'd just said that…I sighed again,

"Tobi, I wanna get washed up a bit, could you turn around please?"

"Tobi can do one better. He'll go look for dinner, but there are sensors here to make sure that Pretty Flower doesn't run away. Deidara would be mad with Tobi if that happened" I nodded in understanding and when he was gone I stripped off and moved to the middle of the river where the water reached my shoulders. What mission could they be on that was so special? What was this sealing thing? Why were we on the borders of Wind and Fire?

I doused my face in the cold water,

_Hope I don't get ill again!_

Ten days. That was the time limit after Deidara's mission was over…That's how long he had to convince me to have sex with him…If he could make me relax long enough. I sighed again, this time in frustration; Deidara no longer seemed to want to sleep with me merely for 'art'. Now when he flirted there was something behind it, when he'd stared at my naked body that night I knew he wasn't lying when he'd whispered those words, I knew he wouldn't hurt me whereas before I couldn't be sure, I trusted him in a way I wouldn't have thought possible, he'd had plenty of opportunities to rape me when I'd pulled back those times. I knew that if he hadn't done it when it was right in-front of him, then I knew he wouldn't ever…

Two tears fell from my closed eyes, making ripples in the slow moving water "what're you doing to me?" I whispered, hugging myself.

* * *

Rose: Hmmm…Can anyone guess what the mission is? I bet you can. And what's Akina gonna do about the remaining ten days after they go back to Ame? Suspense…!

Review please!


	25. He's Back!

Rose: Chapter 25. I guess I made the hints about their mission a little obvious, huh? But no matter,

DEIDARA RETURNS!

Disclaimer: Non! (Just so you know that's not a typo. It's French!)

I haven't checked properly, but I don't think Sasori has made an appearance since chapter 12. If I'm wrong please correct me but I seriously think that's the last time he's been shown!

* * *

A loud explosion echoed from the north-east and a large dust cloud filled the air. Tobi and I scrambled out of our tents in shock and Zetsu came out of hiding to survey it also "seems like those Leaf Nin broke through the barrier"

"Leaf Nin?" I repeated, staring at him, he nodded,

"Two teams, hoping to recover-" he stopped himself in time "never mind. I'm going on patrol. Tobi, make sure Akina stays safe"

"Got it!" the masked man saluted him as the two toned Nin sank into the ground, the next thing I knew Tobi and hoisted me into the air and dumped me at the top of a tree "Pretty Flower will be safe here!" and he leapt away,

"Safe? Safe? I'm on top of a fricking tree with no Chakra! How does that make me safe?" I held onto the trunk for dear life and hoped to whoever was listening that the branch didn't break.

I watched the sun circle overhead and assumed it must have been at least thirty minutes, if not an hour, since I'd been dumped here, from my left I heard the sound of shouting and something flew past me so fast that I was almost blown away, after catching myself I looked up to see Deidara on one of his birds, one of his sleeves was gone, and so was his arm! And the other one was torn and it appeared as though that arm was either inside his cloak, or gone also! He was flying above the canyon with two Nin following him by jumping across the logs down below. My eyes widened at the silver hair and the orange jumpsuit,

Part of me wanted to call out to them, but if they saw me that would mean that Deidara would too. And he probably wouldn't be too happy about me trying to escape.

The other part of me wanted to stay silent. But secretly hoped that Kakashi or Naruto would look up by chance and see me, then Deidara wouldn't know and one of them could double back and get me…

I saw Naruto leap high into the air in the hopes of hitting the male on the bird, but Deidara simply flew higher to dodge, as he fell back down Naruto twisted and his face turned in my direction, his eyes were red but they seemed to register that the white blur against the green wasn't fauna. He didn't have another chance to check as he fell back into the canyon and out of sight. I sighed quietly and watched Deidara lead them off into the forest. After what felt like another hour or so another explosion lit up the sky with an array of reds, pinks and oranges and Tobi reappeared to carry me back to the camp, I started a fire and cooked up some fish he'd caught the previous night and waited for Zetsu to return, Tobi was busy flipping something, a coin? No, a ring!

"Tobi, what's that?"

"This?" he held out the ring to me, dropping it into my palm "it's Sasori's. He lost"

"Lost? As in…"

"Yup, so Tobi had to take his ring so he could return to Ame"

I gasped and nearly dropped the fish into the fire "I don't believe it! Sasori? But…He was so…That's…" I couldn't properly formulate a sentence but Tobi didn't seem too bothered, he was too busy gloating about how he'd now be able to become a proper Akatsuki member,

I ate my fish quietly and I'd only just finished as Zetsu reappeared beside my tent "**Deidara is most likely dead**. He couldn't have survived that explosion" I dropped my fire prodding stick and Tobi forgot to catch Sasori's ring, both fell to the floor with a dull thud "we have to search for the ring. Come, while it's still daylight" Tobi picked up the ring and stuffed it into his pocket before grabbing my hand,

"C'mon Pretty Flower, we have to go find Deidara's ring…I wonder who will replace him!" he skipped along happily holding my hand, ignoring my shock,

_What'll happen now? I'll probably be killed the second Pein is told. Well, at least I'd die loyal to my village…A virgin! Oh crap I don't wanna die a virgin! What the hell will be on my gravestone?_

_**Here lies Akina Michiko,**_

_**Anbu Caption. Deidara's muse,**_

_**Virgin.**_

_**Hidan waz 'ere!**_

_I could just imagine Hidan doing that!_

"Oh! Here it is" Tobi let go of me and bent down to pick up the arm lying motionless on the forest floor, the tongue hanging out lifelessly, Tobi held it like he was receiving a handshake and he couldn't seem to stop himself from giggling,

"LET GO OF MY HAND YOU BASTARD! UN" all our heads snapped up as the blond bomber appeared from behind a tree, panting and looking worse for wear…But alive!

"Deidara!?" I cried, he looked shocked to see me there but was even more so when I threw my arms around his middle "don't you ever scare me like that again!" I whispered, fighting back tears,

"Ohhhhh! Deidara swore!" Tobi sniggered, still clutching the arm,

"Bastard! Un. Make yourself useful and go find my other arm! That sand brat had it in his gourd so it's probably in the bird head now"

_Sand? Gourd?_

"Deidara's crazy. That explosion probably destroyed his arm" Zetsu sighed at Tobi's remark,

"The bird he was riding before was probably able to deflect the blast, being of his own chakra and all, just go find it Tobi"

"I still say Deidara's crazy!" the masked man handed Deidara's arm to me and stared at him before sniggering,

"Tobi!" Deidara ground out "poke him three times and even Buddha will get upset. I'm telling you, shut up! Un. Or else I'll decide how you die!"

Tobi continued to laugh "**That's three**!"

"You'll just blow Tobi up!"

Deidara pulled himself away from me and threw himself on-top of Tobi "strangulation!" he wrapped his legs around Tobi's neck and proceeded to tighten them, still clutching his arm I ran over and tried to pry him off,

"Deidara!" I grabbed onto his ankle and tugged but he wouldn't budge, Zetsu sighed,

"I will go look for his arm. Make sure Deidara's wounds are cleaned and bandaged before tomorrow, we will be leaving early"

"Got…It!" I panted, still trying to get the blond maniac away from a gasping Tobi, Zetsu sank away and I gave up "c'mon Deidara, you heard Zetsu!" he paused and stared up at me,

"Fine, un" reluctantly he released Tobi and stood up, walking beside me back towards the camp, I glanced back at Tobi worriedly but the male next to me brought back my attention "so, you know I'm going to have to take my shirt off for you to bandage me up right? Un"

"I've seen you without a shirt Deidara. But we don't have many medical supplies so you'll need to bathe in the river to clean yourself, the cold water will reduce blood flow to the wounded areas" he slowed his pace and moved behind me to whisper in my ear,

"I'm incapable of washing myself, un"

I smiled and traced his jaw with my fingers "I was thinking of having Tobi do it" he scowled nastily,

"Either you bathe me. Or I'll allow my arms to become infected, un"

I sighed, not in the mood to argue, Zetsu wanted him bandaged so I'd bandage him whatever it took.

* * *

"Tobi. Fuck off somewhere for a few hours, un"

"Someone's enjoying their renewed swearing privileges" I laughed happily as I set two towels on the river bank, Deidara grinned cheekily,

"Of course, un"

"But you do remember what the deal was right? You swore first, so now you must stop all perverted behaviour and I can swear whenever I want" he clicked his tongue in thought,

"Oh yeah, un. I forgot. What a time for me to lose, huh?" I merely smiled in reply; Tobi decided that instead of 'fucking off' he was going to go to bed early. It had only just turned dark but he'd insisted that if we were getting up early he'd need sleep,

Deidara turned his attention back to me, I'd stripped out of my clothes so that I was in my underwear and support bandages, he watched hungrily as I neared him to help him out of his clothes, first went his cloak, it fell to the floor easily but his shirt was more difficult, it had dried into the blood so that I was forced to cut it off. But pieces of the fabric remained stuck to him. He kicked off his sandals and I removed his leggings and pants, I turned to go into the water first but he called me back,

"What about my underwear? Un"

"What? Just come in with it on!" I gasped, already up to my thighs in ice cold liquid, he frowned,

"You may have a change of underwear but my last pair was blown up with that bird! Un" I grimaced and moved back to the shore, I closed my eyes so that when I help him wriggle his boxers off I wouldn't have to see anything, still with my eyes closed I motioned for him to go in first and I waited until I knew he was in the water before joining him, moving so that I was in-front of him and facing the shore I used the remains of his shirt to wash away the dried blood from his left side, it appeared like the arm had been completely ripped from the socket, his other arm looked as though someone had snapped it off just above the elbow. He hissed lowly as it obviously stung "you're kissing me better later right?" I laughed quietly and shook my head,

"Silly"

"I'm serious, it hurts like fuck!"

"Just because you can swear again doesn't mean you have to turn into Hidan" I sighed lowly, he smiled and lowered his head down to the crook of my neck,

"I've missed you these last few days. Sasori wasn't helping, he just kept implying all the things you could be doing whilst I wasn't there…Like imaging the two of us making love. It drove me crazy, un" he nipped at the skin lightly and placed butterfly kisses across my shoulder,

"First of all. I only did that once. And second of all, it's not 'making love' if we aren't in love with each other"

"So where were you when we were mentally fu-"

"Don't call it that either! And I was in the bath" as I said it I blushed brightly but in the darkness you could barely see it,

"The bath? Un. Naughty girl" he sniggered, placing a chaste kiss on my lips, I gasped and stopped washing him so that I could grip his shoulders "I'll have to make that fantasy a reality when we get back"

"In your dreams" I laughed breathily as I pulled back and continued cleaning him,

"And yours apparently, un" he kissed me again and this time walked us back so that I was leaning against one of the rocks, he trailed kisses all over my visible skin, which was really only my shoulders and face "I missed you. I was so cold at night, every time I rolled over I wished you were there, beside me" I moaned loudly as he pressed against me but I tried to fight him off by continuing to do my job "I wanted you so badly it hurt. All I could think about was you that night before I left. That beautiful look on your face when you orgasm" I flushed again and my hands twitched, nearly all the blood was gone now and the fabric had been washed away also "I can't wait to until my arms are reattached, all I want to do now it hold you until…Until…Until Tobi becomes smart, un"

"Um…That's about as clean as I get you Deida…RA!"

_Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! OH MY FUCKING GOD IN HEAVEN!_

"Shit, un"

"Get rid of it!" I whined "I can't get you dressed with…**That** pointing at me"

"How the hell am I supposed to get rid of it? I have no arms, un. You'll have to do it!"

"What?"

"Well Tobi sure as hell isn't touching my cock! Un"

"Yeah, but…I've never…How could I…?" the red-blooded male glared down at me,

"Just grab it! Un" he hissed "it's getting painful at the thought" with a groan I dipped my hand under the surface of the water and wrapped my fingers around his shaft, he threw his head back and moaned, good God. Why did this have to happen? If Deidara wasn't so sex-crazed this would never have happened "now rub up and down" he ground out, I did as he told me, and reluctantly began to slide my hand over him, I felt a vein throbbing and subconsciously swiped my thumb over it "ah…Sneaky, you've done this before!" he thrust his hips further into my hand,

"Have not!" I squeaked, I'd never had Deidara panting and begging before me and if this was any other situation then I'd have probably gloated, but right now it was just too embarrassing "what did I do?"

"You succeeded in seducing an S-Class missing Nin from the Rock. This is your reward" he joked "f…Faster!" luckily for me his release didn't take much more and afterwards I scrubbed my hands with the water until it felt numb. I dried and dressed the male back in his pants, careful not to spend too much time on his 'area' before dressing myself,

"I…Uh…I need to wrap you up" I said, fishing out some soothing cream and the bandages, he nodded and followed me into the tent. Apparently I wasn't the only one embarrassed by what had happened. Once inside I straddled his lap as it was the only way to apply the cream with the least amount of difficulty, Deidara did nothing to invoke another erection though and I was quick to follow suit. Afterwards, I threw his Akatsuki cloak over his shoulders so as to stop him getting cold. He thanked me quietly and remained in the tent as I left to pack away the supplies. As an after thought I retrieved a spare piece of fish and the package I'd left in the water a few days before "I thought you might be hungry" I smiled as I zipped up the tents entrance, he grinned, the earlier incident pushed to the back of our minds,

"Starving, un. What you got?" I knelt down in-front of him,

"I've got fish in this hand. And a mystery food in this one" I held up both items, his eyes darted between them for a few seconds,

"I'll take both, un" he nodded finally, I didn't bother to argue and held the fish up to his lips, he ate quickly and greedily and I assumed that during this 'three day sealing' thing he probably wouldn't have had anything to eat "okay, what's in the tub?"

"Bakudan!" I grinned "Sasori told me it was your favourite…I'm not sure how it'll taste though, I've been trying to keep it fresh but it might have gone off"

"I don't care just feed it to me! Un" Deidara ordered; the Bakudan looked the same as when I'd packed it. Of course, the tub had been air tight and stored with ice packs and in cold water so if there was anything wrong with it I'd have been annoyed, I held up the first piece to Deidara's lips and he chewed and swallowed with a thoughtful look on his features "good, un. Is this your first time making it?"

"Yeah…Want another?" he nodded and eagerly downed the remaining three, I was about to pull my hand back when he latched onto my finger tips with his teeth "ah" he began to suck and lick each one individually, I could feel his tongue swirling around my digits and trying to engulf them fully "Deidara" I whispered. Eventually he pulled back and smirked,

"Just making sure I got it all, un" I blushed slightly and packed away the Bakudan tub and pulled out my sleeping bag to spread out on the floor to use as a mattress, the faint red dusted my cheeks the entire time and increased every time I caught Deidara looking at me,

"I don't have any pillows…" I began aimlessly as I lay on my back and looked up at the blond, he shrugged off his cloak and shifted his body so that his head was on my shoulder,

"I'll survive, un" he sniggered, I couldn't help but smile and reached over to grab his discarded cloak to use as a cover,

"You'll freeze otherwise"

"Not when I'm with you, un. Besides, I'm not the one wearing soaking wet underwear" I caught the double meaning and blushed profusely,

"D…Deidara!" I squeaked, he smirked seductively "oh no! Don't go getting any ideas"

"I just wanted to make out for a bit, un" he whined, stretching up to try and steal a kiss but I leaned away "and if it happened to get that far then…Hey, one less thing to worry about when we get back…You'd have to be on-top of course but as long as I got to be back home then I wouldn't mind…"

"Goodnight Deidara" I rolled my eyes before shifting onto my side so my back was facing him, he moved his head so that it rested on my side,

"…And you'd probably be kinda sore in the morning but that's perfectly understandable considering who your partner is, so Tobi or Zetsu would have to carry you back but I wouldn't mind for once…"

* * *

Rose: I wanted to stop this just as they entered the tent but it was too short so I had to stretch it. That extra little bit didn't exist before now.

Review please!


	26. Scars

Rose: Sorry it took so long I've had stuff and family matters to attend to.

Disclaimer: OC's and plot.

Also, if you haven't already and you like Kingdom Hearts check out my new fic Candle in the Dark.

* * *

"Ow. Fuck" Deidara swore violently as Kakuzu threaded the needle through his skin again and again, the muscles, bones and all the other stuff had already been connected, it was just the outer layer left, one arm completed, which I was cleaning, and only half of another to go,

"You're lucky I'm doing this" Kakuzu growled "if it wasn't for Sasori I'd have longer, you're going to be left with horrible scars and this synthetic skin will have to be permanent because I'm not going to spend another six days on you" I winced, six days it had taken to re-attach Deidara's arms, Zetsu had taken him back to the base the morning after we found him to start work immediately, Tobi and I arrived five days later, and tomorrow was a memorial party in honour of Sasori, it had been put off as long as possible to allow the blond to heal but if they waited too long then the redheads Puppet body was going to rot away before it could be burnt,

I finished rubbing the cream over his left arm, they'd managed to place it back in the socket but the muscles were really damaged and had to be sewn up, his right arm had to attached at two places, which meant it was much more painful "ah, damnit! Un"

"Just shut up, I'm finished now. Konan said something about the cream having Chakra like healing effects, and if you forget to put it on until the two weeks are up, the skin will die…Yatta, yatta, yatta, where's my money?"

"In the bag" Kakuzu fished it out and left the infirmary without another word as I started to lather Deidara's other arm "ow" he winced "botch job, un"

"At least they were able to be attached in such a short amount of time" I said quietly "so what's happening at this party tonight?"

"Dancing, small buffet, speech by Leader and then we'll go outside to burn Sasori's corpse, un. I got you a dress ordered and measured…Actually I got Tobi to do that, but it's back in our room with my suit"

"What colour?" I asked, putting the cream away,

"It had to be red or black, Akatsuki colours, black makes you look washed out so-"

"I can't wear red!" I gaped,

"I'm not happy about it either, un, every guy is gonna be looking at you tonight! Damn the stupid colour for making you so sexy!"

"What's the dress like?" I changed the subject as we strolled down the corridor,

"Strapless, un, with a kind of, corset, bodice thing so that you won't have to bother with wraps, it puffs out a bit at the hips and it's floor length"

"So it's not like…Slutty or anything? I know what you're like"

"No, not in the least, un. It's modest"

"Hmmm"

* * *

"It feels a little tight" I gasped as the zipper was done up and I was trapped in the folds of the gown "and I'm not sure about these wires" it was under-wired for maximum support, thick, plaited wire that was sewed under the material, they ran in bands above my breasts, above the nipple, below the nipple and below my breasts,

"You're just not use to it, un" Deidara was wearing a black tuxedo with a red tie, I sat down on the bed and let the blond tie on my shoes as I couldn't bend over, they were a pair of strappy, high red ones with silk covering, I had rubies in my ears and my hair had been plaited before being pinned in a bun with a few strands hanging down, I had to constantly take deep breaths otherwise I couldn't take in the oxygen I needed, Deidara led me out of his room and out into the streets where everyone was mourning the loss of Sasori, paper lanterns had been lit in his name and many of the richer members of the village, along with the Akatsuki members were converging in Taji's house, Pein had taken it over since his arrest and was using it for the memorial service,

Heads, male and female, turned as the two of us walked in, the girls and women sighed at Deidara and glared at me, while the men did the same only the other way around "I feel stupid" I moaned quietly,

"Ditto, un" he murmured "but we'll only be here for an hour or so, until Leader makes his speech" he spun me around so that we could dance "then we'll go burn Sasori and head home…"

"I don't think I can last an hour in this dress" I winced "the wires are digging in, are you sure you got those measurements right?"

"Of course, I buy your clothes, there's no way I'd get them wrong, un. But maybe later on…After the burning…I can take the dress off you and we can…"

"What?" I gaped at him with my eyes wide,

"It has to happen sooner or later Akina" he frowned "and if not tonight then the next night"

"I…You're arms! Even if I wanted to your arms are way too weak to-"

"Akina" he growled "it's going to happen tonight. And I don't care if I have to tie you up to make you scream my name. I will if it comes to that, un"

"I'll get you the rope" I snapped "just remember to remind me on the way back!" he didn't reply, obviously he didn't want to start an argument and to be honest neither did I, I just wanted to get out of this dress before it killed me, unfortunately the only way of getting out of it was to get naked right after it hit the floor, I turned my face away from Deidara's in anger, but the sudden movement cause me to become light-headed and I stumbled slightly,

"Are you okay? Un" he asked, holding me up "do you want to sit down?"

"No, I'm fine. Just missed a step, no problem" he looked convinced and together we got back into the flow of the dance, Itachi approached after a few minutes and asked if he could cut in, and though he obviously didn't want too, Deidara let him, but only because he knew Itachi would never try anything,

"I saw that" the Uchiha said quietly,

"What?"

"You tripped, are you unwell?"

"No, I'm fine. Tired I guess"

"This is more than fatigue. What did Deidara say to you before you stumbled?" he asked, turning me so my back was to the blond,

"The usual"

"That again. Akina, Deidara's getting desperate. And I know that he wouldn't condone rape but just be careful. Know that if he tries it I'll help you"

"Why?"

"I've felt the need to say that for a while. I think of you as the sister I always wanted but never got"

"I thought you liked Sasuke?" I cocked an eyebrow,

"I'd trade him for you any day" he replied "at least you don't try to kill me before I can explain my actions"

"What actions?"

"Nothing" he shook his head, as if he wasn't supposed to say that, I blinked and stumbled again but this time my vision blurred for a split second "let's go find you a seat" Itachi said, leading me over to the wall where chairs had been set out for the guests, Deidara was there waiting for us,

"Are you okay? Un" he asked, handing me a glass of water,

"Yeah, yeah. Totally, like I said I'm just tired" I shrugged off their concern "I'm okay! Geeze, take a Chill-Pill" I snapped as they exchanged glances,

I could see Itachi wasn't convinced but he took his leave, Deidara sat down beside me as Pein stood up to make his speech about the late Sasori, I barely heard any of it as I felt faint, and I began to take deeper breaths but in a shorter amount of time "Akina?" the blond whispered "are you nervous? Don't have another attack, I didn't really mean it when I said I'd tie you up! Akina?"

The next thing I was aware of, we were outside the village on an open hill, Sasori's wooden body had been wrapped up and lain across a small pile of logs, I barely registered Pein lighting it up and everyone taking a moment of silence, when it ended the crowd slowly dispersed "Deidara" I whispered "I feel tired" I rubbed my forehead, my chest felt warm as-well, but it wasn't a 'nice warm' it was a kind of…Liquid warm, like water was trapped between my breasts and the fabric,

"It's okay, un. I know you're just nervous"

"No, I really feel-" he cut me off by lifting me into his arms and carrying me the rest of the way, I lay my head on his shoulder and with one last struggling breath, passed out.

* * *

When I awoke the next morning I was in Deidara's bed, still wearing my dress, behind me I heard the blond man shift, but when I tired to sit up my chest contracted in pain "ah!"

"You're awake then? Un" with a wince I turned my body to look at my partner who had his back to me,

"Dei-"

"Don't. You weren't really tired were you? Un"

"I…Don't know, I felt dizzy, and short of breath and-"

"And it all started after I told you what we were gonna do, un. But like I said, if it didn't happen then it would just be another night. This one!" my shoes had been removed and sleeping in the gown had caused my body to cramp up "I didn't want to **wake you**!" Deidara spat spitefully "since you were **so** tired!"

I didn't bother to argue and stood up shakily before stumbling over to the mirror to try and un-zip the dress, it was a relief to breathe properly again despite the ache, only God knew how I'd survived the night in the thing. Peeling the corset back though, was hard, the wires that had been sewn in had come loose, and dug into my skin, causing blood to be released; it had dried and become stuck to me "Dei…" I whimpered, he sat up groggily,

"What?" he snapped, glaring at me, but then he caught the look on my face in the mirror "what?" he asked again, softer this time "what's wrong?" he scrambled out of the covers in his underwear and over to me "oh God, un" he whispered, seeing the dress practically fused to my body "Akina…I'm so sorry! I should have taken it off you but I knew you'd have woken up and gotten upset and mad, and I wanted you to suffer a little and sleeping in that thing can't have been comfy but…But…Akina I'm so sorry!" I was barely listening to what he said as he backed me onto the bed and began to try and separate the fabric from skin, he did it slowly and gently but every time a new bit broke away it began to bleed freshly, I was crying by the time he'd finished, I didn't care that I was half naked, I didn't care that he could see me, all I cared about was the blood pouring down my chest and stomach and the pain that coursed through me every time I breathed "this way" Deidara led me into the bathroom and sat me on the edge of the bath, and with a damp towel he began to clean away the blood as I sat sobbing in-front of him, it didn't even bother me when he cupped my breasts to clean under them, when he was done he used the cream Konan had given him on the wounds and found some medical bandages, as apposed to my support ones, and gently wrapped my breasts up, when he was finished he took me in his arms and held me "there, there" he cooed as I cried into his shoulder "it's okay. You'll be okay"

"…Dara…" I started, but he cut me off with a kiss on the top of my head,

"I know, un, it hurts. But don't worry. You go back to bed and I'll go see the woman who sold me your dress"

"Don't leave me!" I held onto his arms tightly even though the fake skin on his left one repulsed me, it was stupid but whenever I was injured I felt the need to always be with someone, he placed me back in the bed, at first I thought he was going to leave but then he slid in beside me, I used his arm as a pillow and placed my palms on his chest and he wrapped his other arm around my hips "thank you" I whispered quietly, he smiled and kissed my forehead.

* * *

It's a strange relationship Deidara and I have, one minute we're at each others throats and the next we're usually getting hot and heavy, Sakura once said that girls go through phases about which guys they like, of course she and Ino went through their 'bad boy' phase at the same time with Sasuke, though they both grew out of it, albeit at different times, Hinata only had one phase, a permanent one for dumb blonds…Which seems to have paid off, seeing as how the last time I saw her she was getting ready for a date with Naruto,

I had a 'jerk' phase, where I dated Neji for a little while, we broke up when I was fifteen, on mutual terms, he thought I was holding him back while I thought he was…Well…A jerk.

Then I had a nice guy phase with Kiba; that lasted about two months, Akamaru and Hikaru, Abir's older sister, a reddish-brown Houkou just bigger than him, got a little too close and we had to break it off as we were afraid what would happen if Hikaru got pregnant and her mother found out, we did not want to anger the sister of Dai, the Five Tailed Houkou, the same one the Akatsuki were after, by having to explain that we accidentally caused her daughter to have a litter because we weren't careful enough. She's lovely, Abir's mother, but she'd have eaten us if that happened.

Then there was my 'dangerous but still nice' phase, that's where Gaara came in, and he lasted the longest, I almost thought he was 'the one' until that incident where I refused intimacy, being with a guy who confused sex with love was not a good idea, especially since he has such high endurance in battle. We broke up. And one week before I met Deidara, Naruto had been telling me how he'd finally understood the difference between sex for love and sex for pleasure after seeing some hooker give a guy head on a street corner…Charming. I was gonna get back together with him, maybe have sex. I liked him…Even back when he was a murderous killing machine, he was my first kiss! Well technically a mutant hybrid of him and Shukaku was my first kiss, and I was pinned against a tree…But still.

I never had my 'bad boy' phase, and I suppose that it's meant to be Deidara, I mean, he is an Akatsuki! How much more 'bad' can you get? Except that he's not really a bad boy… More like a rambunctious puppy that's broken his collar. He doesn't go off with other girls or smoke or drink…Excessively. He doesn't tick any of the boxes. He's just Deidara. Maybe he's my 'almost bad' phase, a phase that appears to want to last a long time. It's not that I don't mind being attracted to him, to be perfectly honest when he blows stuff up it really makes me hot! And when he comes out of the bathroom wearing nothing but a towel I have to resist screaming "take me now!" I've seen Itachi without a shirt and Hidan, I've even seen Tobi without a shirt, though never without a mask, and all of them have way more impressive muscles! I've seen Kisame and Kakuzu…Which actually mentally scared me as I could swear the eyes on his animal masks were following me; but none of them turned me on!

The only problem with being attracted to Deidara is that every time I see him my nether regions shout "jump him!" and my brain shouts "your village!" and then I end up with a stomach ache which everyone suddenly knows about within five seconds of it happening and for the next five days everyone with a Y chromosome is armed with chocolate in-case I get hormonal on their asses. Which I don't actually mind except that I have to burn it all off and there's nothing worse than running around the training grounds with a bunch of guys staring at your boobs for half an hour. One of the guys being the man who wants to, in his words 'make you come ten times in a row, un' and if there's one thing everything every woman likes, it's an orgasm! And it's even better if given by someone else, to have two or three in one sitting is lucky…To possibly be given ten in one night would be heaven and is so tempting I'm almost willing to smother myself in whipped cream for the man,

But it doesn't seem fair that he can he use his Kekkei Genkai for sexual means. That's not what it's for…It was for weaving wool! He can kiss me, stimulate my breasts and give oral sex at the same time…It seems to me that Nature was playing favourites when it made Deidara's family, which is understandable, Mother Earth would probably want men to satisfy her women…But why did that woman have to be me?

It's possible that all Kekkei Genkai can do that though, after all, the families had them long before Ninja came about, some are ancient and some are relatively new, like the Byakugan…Wonder what Itachi can do? Gives women astounding illusions probably, not that he would tell me…Maybe Hidan knows, he's a born gossip. Ew, I'd hate to think what he did in bed…

"Damnit!" I moaned, all I could think about was what the different men of Akatsuki did in bed, it wasn't so bad thinking of only Deidara or Itachi, that one was a whim, but then I got to wondering whether Pein had piercings anywhere other than his face and that was when I decided to turn my brain off because it got creepy,

"What's wrong? Un" Deidara mumbled, we were in the same position as before, only I'd rolled onto my back and he had been resting his hand my stomach, now he was tracing meaningless patterns onto the skin, claiming it was 'exercises'

"Nothing, my imagination got out of control and it was annoying me"

"What were you thinking about? Un" he buried his nose into my hair,

"I don't think it's fair that you can use your hands for sexual purposes"

"You didn't seem to mind that night before I left, un" he grinned and I felt myself burn at the thought of it "want a repeat performance?"

"Uh…"

_RESIST DAMN YOU!_

"Maybe later, when your arms better"

_WEAK! YOU ARE WEAK!_

He frowned, funny, Ino said that guys hate giving oral but like receiving it, Deidara appeared to like both, if his sleep talking meant anything at all "how are you feeling? Un, better?" the frown had nothing to do with oral sex, his likes and dislikes remain a mystery,

"I think the bleeding's stopped but it still hurts to breathe deeply and I don't want to attempt moving" I replied, he stroked my side gently,

"My poor Petal" he whispered "I won't let that girl get away with this…I'm going to kill her! Un"

"Is that really necessary?"

"For hurting you, death wouldn't be enough, un, so don't be shocked if I come back painted red, because I'm going to make that girl **beg** me to finish her" he leaned over and kissed me passionately "and you can thank me by buying some whipped cream and chocolate…"

_Creepy…He read my mind._

* * *

Rose: Yeah, this one's full of humour and innuendo.

Review please.


	27. Time

Rose: I'm in a very Naruto-y mode right now.

Disclaimer: We've said this 26 times, I think people have got the message.

* * *

Deidara was right, by the time he got back he was coated in blood, head to toe, arm to arm, I had only woken up ten minutes before he arrived, and finding him gone I'd proceeded to force myself to move because I'd needed the bathroom, the only remnants of those wires were a dull ache now as I cleaned and re-wrapped them, thick, ugly, swollen marks across my skin that would no doubt scar permanently, I grimaced.

The blond barely registered me as he crossed the room and entered the bathroom to clean up. Giving me time to change out of my underwear, I was wearing one of Deidara's shirts, one that reached to the tops of my thighs, he exited the bathroom and the first thing he saw was me, bending over to make the bed, he got a good side view and I watched him move behind me, but as he did I straightened up, leaving him to groan quietly,

"You killed her didn't you?" I asked, sitting in the newly made covers,

"No, un. But I did scar her, along the face where she can't hide it, four of them, to match yours" he turned he back on me and dropped his towel to root around the wardrobe; I covered my eyes and blushed lightly "she denied it of course, said she followed the measurements exactly but she was lying"

He grabbed my wrist so that I could look at him, in a pair of pants and with his wet hair dripping down his chest, I felt my throat become gummy and struggled to swallow, he reached over and took my other hand, kissing the palm of it "Deidara…" I whispered, he silenced me with another kiss on my wrist, then my elbow, slowly making his way up to my neck, his breath tickling my skin, he pushed me back onto the bed and trailed his lips across my neck before nibbling on my ear, I moaned quietly as I felt his hand squeeze my thigh and his warm body slip between them,

"Deidara…" I turned my head, staring at him from the corner of my eye I expected him to scowl or moan or shout but he merely nodded,

"I understand, un" he kissed my lips gently before removing himself to finish dressing, at the same time I pulled on a pair of his pants and my shoes before leaving the room.

* * *

"Hey Bitch"

"Hey Ass" Hidan stared at me as I strolled past towards the bookshelf in the living room,

"You swore?"

"Very perceptive fuck-face" Kakuzu sniggered as I picked up 'Prisoner of Lust' the same one I'd discarded a few months back, I was going to face my fear!

"Damnit Bitch!"

"Kakuzu, he has three aces, you're gonna lose if you don't fold"

"Thanks!" he nodded and quickly dropped his hand,

"Damnit Bitch!"

"Hidan if there ever comes a time when you need me…I'm going to remember that" I smiled as I crossed the room again,

"Like there's ever gonna be a fucking time when I need you for anything" he laughed.

* * *

_He took her in his large, muscular arms and held her close, so close in-fact that they could feel the beat of each others hearts, thumping against their breasts in unison,_

_A gasp passed her soft red lips as he laid her back and slipped between her tawny thighs, his manhood pressing against her hot, wet opening, with one tiny movement of his hips he-_

"Hey Petal, un"

I yelped in shock and the book flew from my hands onto the stone floor at Deidara's feet, he picked it up and flicked though the pages "oh my God!" I clapped my hands over my mouth in shock and humiliation,

"It says that here too, un" he grinned, waving the book at me "you finally decided to read it then?"

"I'm…Trying to engage myself"

"If you wanted to be engaged I'm sure you could have just asked me, un, what is it? Four 'o' clock? I can help you before dinner"

"Deidara I don't want-" but he was already removing his clothes and the sight of him was sending ripples of excitement though my body "I really don't think-" he was beside me in an instant, kneeling on the bed and his hands fumbling at my shirt "you never let me fin-"

"Look, un, we don't **have** to go all the way" I scowled as he cut me off again "but if we were to become familiar with each other, un, then maybe it wouldn't be so awkward for you later, hmm?"

"Deidara. I do not want to get naked" I furrowed my brow at him but he just grinned stupidly,

"You've done it before, un"

"Yeah but-"

"Lot's of times, un"

"Yeah but-"

"And we're not going to have sex, un"

"Yeah but-"

"But nothing, un" he pushed me back and pulled off my shirt and pants "we're just gonna explore each other"

"But I don't-" he removed his own pants and then his underwear, cutting me off and to make sure I didn't see anything I kept my eyes looking up towards the ceiling, but when he tried to remove the bandages I slapped him away "I don't want them gone"

"Akina…" he started quietly but I shook my head,

"I don't want them gone" I repeated "I hate the thought of looking at them"

He nodded "okay, un, we won't have sex and we won't remove the bandages" as he said it he pressed the backs of his fingers between my legs "thought you are a little wet" I had no objections to him removing my underwear because he'd promised no intercourse and I knew I could trust him to keep it,

"There. You've explored me. Are we done now?" the tongue of his hand slid across my stomach and dipped into my belly-button causing me to whimper slightly, then, he stiffened the muscles in his arm to prevent me from sitting up "D…Dei-" I began worriedly,

"It's okay, un. Just relax" craning my neck I saw his head bob down between my legs,

"DEIDARA!" his tongue was hot and slick against my opening "Deidara…Deidara…DeidaRA! Oh…Oh my God" I arched my back and tried to hold back a moan as he licked wherever his muscle could reach, I was panting hard and heard him chuckle,

"It doesn't take much to make you come, does it? Un" he then continued his work, dipping inside me and scraping his teach against my lips, upon which I jerked my hips and felt my insides clench as flutters of pleasure floated across my skin, he rose back up licking his lips happily "how did that feel? Un"

"I…Don't really know what to say" I whispered as he crawled over me,

"Say you liked it, un" he suggested, I laughed quietly though there was something gnawing at the back of my mind,

"Um…Did you want me to…?" I motioned vaguely 'down below' "because I've never-"

"You don't have to, un. I won't complain either way, though it would be difficult to accomplish because you never want to look at it"

"Not all of us like to bare all or watch others bare all" I smiled, he kissed my neck and then my cheek,

"You could just grope me, un. I promise I won't sue for sexual harassment" my hands remained on his shoulders, even in such a situation he couldn't help making jokes,

"Maybe we should stop"

"You've barely touched me, un"

"Well…The only place to touch you is the only place I don't want to touch, so we're kinda stuck"

He shifted slightly and I felt him brush me, causing me to stiffen "sorry, total accident, un"

"Hehe, of course. I'm just jumpy" I gulped thickly and stared up at him, he was resting his body weight on his right arm and using the let to trace the curves of my body, the situation had become silent and awkward, he wanted to have sex and I didn't, and neither of us were really willing to meet half way, saliva formed in the back of my throat as I came to a conclusion "maybe…Maybe we could try…You know…Going a little further" he blinked in confusion but nodded all the same,

"My pestering finally got through, huh?"

The corners of my mouth turned up slightly "I guess so"

He bent down and kissed me "did you want to continue foreplay? Un, or just try and do it?"

"What are you used to?"

"I'm used to one-night-stands, un"

"So what happens on those?"

"I usually get the girl drunk. But if I do that to you, un, you might regret doing something"

"I…I don't want…Full sex. Just…Just get me used to the idea of something inside me without…Without going all the way"

"Of course, un" he slid his hand between my legs and dipped a finger inside,

"Ah…Oh…Dei!" I moaned, he added another one and split them, pushing them against my walls "oh…Oh my" I gasped when he pulled them out,

Then he lowered his body down onto mine, his lips stroking any area of available skin, from my neck down to my stomach, soft kisses were spread about, he wrapped one arm around my back and the other around my hips, his nose brushed over my bandages "sure you don't want these off?"

"Yes"

"Because…They've come sort of loose, un" as he said it his nose ruffled them and exposed an unscarred nipple "they don't look so bad" he licked the pearl cheerfully,

"Ah…" he attached his lips to it and proceeded to lick and suck, both of my hands slid up to bury themselves in his hair and hold him in place "don't…Remove them" I whispered lowly,

He managed to pull away before grabbing one of my thighs and wrapping it around his hips "just relax, un. Remember that we aren't going all the way" I nodded as I felt him push the tip in,

"Oh!" I felt my insides pull as he pushed more of himself inside, it wasn't as painful as I'd remembered it, in-fact, it felt kinda nice, like a soft tingling over my nether regions,

"Akina…" Deidara whispered "I can feel it, un" I stared up into his eyes, it was paining him to do this "it would be so easy…For me to just push forward another centre-" he stopped himself as I dug my nails into his, still tender, arms,

"Don't!"

"I won't if you don't want me too, un" he replied, and I felt him pull back slightly, not enough to completely leave though "how does it feel?"

"Not…As bad as I thought" he stroked my cheek,

"Do you want to just stay like this? Un" I nodded,

"Why? Do you have plans?"

"Not that I can remem-"

"DEIDARA!" Kisame shouted and banged on the door three times, it shocked the blond and he jumped, at the same time I jerked back and felt something warm float inside me "are you coming or what? You said you'd spar with me!"

Deidara and I stared at each other in shock.

"Yeah, I came…I mean…I'm Coming! Un" he called, Kisame's footsteps faded away down the hall "I…I'm sorry. I didn't mean to!" he pulled away and began to get dressed, I quickly slipped under the covers as he leaned over to kiss me "I'll see you in a few hours"

I rolled onto my side when the door shut,

_Oh my God…A guy just…Deidara just…Oh my God!_

I couldn't help the twinge of enjoyment at the thought of a man having an orgasm inside of me; it was one of those things you just had to feel giddy about.

* * *

Deidara woke me up the next morning by constantly rolling around and getting up, kicking the covers off and pulling them back on, eventually it became too much and I rolled over "what's wrong?"

"I'm panicking, un"

"About what?"

"What do you mean 'about what'? Un, what the fuck else could I be worrying about? We have three fucking days!" I flinched at his tone and his face softened, he leaned over and kissed my neck and face "sorry, un. I didn't mean to snap"

"It's okay"

_No it's not!_

* * *

Rose: That's all for this chapter. Review please!


	28. The Date

Rose: I give you this chapter because I feel sorry for you all...Enjoy!

Disclaimer: No.

* * *

"Doesn't Pretty Flower need a dress for her date tonight?" Tobi skipped long beside me as we strolled down one of the streets of Ame,

"Deidara has one ready for me" I replied, he'd also given me some money after we'd woken up and told me to buy something for myself, jewellery, sweets…Pants, I'd already bought a pendent, a small silver one in the shape of a swallow, with the chain attached to its wings, some perfume, because I was a sucker for stuff like that, and was now looking for a clothes shop so I would stop stealing Deidara's, Tobi had decided to escort me because I didn't know my way around the village and would probably end up lost in the many streets, he was also carrying my bags for me despite my protesting,

The masked man found a women's clothing store and waited outside as I scanned the racks, I found a few pairs of pants, shirts and a couple jumpers and stuffed them in my basket, I was about to go pay for them when, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a secluded section of the shop, the door was covered by a curtain and above it was a bright red sign reading 'Lingerie' I blushed lightly and glanced around before diving in, I was ready for this…I was ready for this…I was going to indulge a little…I was ready!

_Bad thoughts. BAD THOUGHTS!"_

There were only a few other women in the windowless room, one was an attendant, the other two were twenty-something and were comparing silk stockings, the attendant saw me in the corner and rushed over "can I help you?" she asked kindly, she was much older than the other women, probably in her forties, but she was slim and had a nice, friendly face,

"Um…I've never really bought this stuff before; I don't know what I'm looking for"

"What size are you, dear, that might let us know what you're looking for, certain styles don't fit certain sizes, you see?"

"I don't really know. I've only ever worn wraps because I'm very athletic; bras just seemed a bit of a bother"

"Right, put you basket over here" she took my clothes and placed them by the changing rooms "we'll just have to measure you and help you find what you need, okay sweetheart?" I nodded, and stepped into the cubicle with her before pulling off my (Deidara's) shirt "well, they're certainly larger than I thought. You shouldn't hide them under baggy clothes" she smiled "but wraps tent to flatten breasts. So if you wouldn't mind" I did mind, the scars were red and puffy now, I quickly jumped in as she opened her mouth,

"Bodice malfunction" she cooed in sympathy,

"Sorry pet" and used a tape measure to find some kind of number and a letter, though I had no idea how she'd done it when she'd barely glanced at the damn thing "unusual because you're so thin" I shrugged and covered them with my arms as she spoke "so, what kind of lingerie were you looking for?"

"I have no idea" she cocked an eyebrow and laughed merrily,

"Sweetheart, there's wedding lingerie, shelf bras, corsets…And then there's the night gowns like the Teddy or the Chemise, it all depends on the occasion, which is?"

"My…Boyfriend and I, we're…Um…Going to-"

"First time?" she asked kindly, I nodded nervously "what's happening beforehand?"

"We're going out to dinner" I chewed on a thumbnail as she nodded in thought,

"What are you wearing?"

"I don't know, he bought me a dress and I haven't seen it yet. But knowing him it wouldn't be anything too revealing or see-through or anything" the attendant hummed in thought,

"I'll get a few different things" she smiled and left the cubicle, returning a few moments later to hand some things over the door "white is the safest colour" she called, I looked over the different bras, one was tiny and as I held to up to my chest I could see it only covered the lower half, the second was a corset, which I tossed to the side immediately, the third looked similar to the definition of a 'normal' bra, it was white with blue ribbon around the edges and removable straps, and it felt comfortable as I slipped it on, the woman came in and clapped her hands "lovely. It supports you, keeps them in and doesn't flatten them like those wraps" I stared at the mirror, stroking the bra timidly, it was beautiful,

"I know what to look for now" I nodded, the attendant smiled again,

"I hope you and your boyfriend have a lovely night" before she hurried off to help someone else,

"Yeah" I rolled my eyes.

* * *

"So what did Pretty Flower buy in that lady shop? You were in there a long time" Tobi asked as we arrived back at the main base later that day,

"Just some clothes, you know what girls are like Tobi. We take forever" I laughed, he nodded and followed me to Deidara's room and threw his arms around me just as I was about to open the door "Tobi…"

"Tobi wishes Pretty Flower didn't have to be sad" he whispered "he hopes that she doesn't give in to Deidara because then Tobi can look after her" before releasing me and strolling down the hall, I brushed my hair back and closed the door behind me, Deidara wasn't in so I dumped my bags on the bed and unpacked them delicately, the underwear had been packed into pink tissue paper, I hid it under my pillow ready to change into later that night and pulled out my clothes, a pair of dark blue three quarter lengths, and a white long sleeved shirt, before moving into the bathroom to take a shower with the soap I'd gotten.

* * *

I exited the bathroom in my new clothes with my hair pulled into the towel, I came out smelling like spring rain,

Deidara was back, he grinned when he saw me "hey, un. I see you were busy today" he motioned to the bags on the bed,

"Yeah. You gave me way too much money; it's in my coat pocket if-"

"Keep it, un. Then when you get bored or I'm being a jerk you can go on a spree" I smiled in thanks "what did you get?"

"Um…Some clothes, jewellery, the stuff you told me to get, really" he slid over and pecked my cheek,

"I told you to buy what **you** wanted, un. Not what I wanted" he laughed,

"They **are** what I wanted" I replied "so what's in the box?" I tapped the large, wrapped box he was unsuccessfully trying to hide behind his back,

"Your dress, un. Wanna see?"

"Yes"

"Well…Not until tonight when it's time to leave" he took the box with him as he left the room,

"Meanie" I stuck my tongue out and he did the same, my smile vanished as the door closed though.

* * *

I re-entered the room at five to get ready, the first thing I did was put on the bra after removing the straps and the matching pants, a pair of lacy hotpants bought at another women's insistence; I pulled on the dress in haste because at any second I expected Deidara to walk in.

It reached just above my knees and was a creamy-white hue. It had a plunging neckline with simple white straps and pale blue embroidery around the bust and hem, I fastened the swallow necklace from before and sprayed on my mint perfume, there were a pair of simple strappy heels in the box too, with small blue beads sewn onto them,

Standing in-front of the mirror I carefully painted my eyes with blue eye-shadow and black eye-liner and rolled on some clear lip-gloss, I brushed my hair and tied it back into a bun, with some of it falling out and a few strands framing my face, I stroked the reflection,

"Akina? Are you ready? Un"

"What am I supposed to answer?" I called back; he entered in his tuxedo with a blue tie and handkerchief, his hair had been tied at the nape of his neck and pushed out of his face and he'd also removed his scope,

"This is going better than I thought, un, I would have expected you to be locked in the bathroom by now" he moved closer and took my hand "c'mon, or we're gonna be late"

The restaurant we were going to was very high class compared to the rest of Ame. It was in the 'richer' section of the town and I could see only a privileged few were able to go there, the Akatsuki being the main members of that group, a waiter showed us to a window seat, Deidara held the chair out for me and tucked it in before taking his own seat, the first thing that was brought to us was the 'house wine' and though I objected, the blond still ordered some, I stared down at my plate, looking up only to order and even then I only saw the waiter,

"Akina? Un" my 'date' whispered, my hand was resting on the table and he covered it with his own, the hand refrained from kissing me "Akina. It's okay" my eyes flickered up to his face, my shoulders relaxed and my other hand stopped wrinkling the tablecloth,

"Okay" I whispered as the soup was brought over, it warmed me up slightly which I was thankful for "I'm always okay with the thought of…Us. But the closer it gets to when we actually have to do it, I get nervous"

Deidara cocked his head to one side "believe it or not, un, but me too" he was lying but it was still thoughtful of him to say it for me,

The soup bowls were taken away and I stood up "be right back" I whispered, strolling to the ladies room. When I was inside I locked myself in a cubicle and climbed onto the toilet, the window looked big enough for me to fit through, I would probably have, at most, ten minutes before Deidara would come looking for me, that would be enough time to-

_DAMNIT!_

The window only opened three inches. Obviously this place had experience with people trying to stiff the check, my first escape plan, foiled before it had even started! I turned at sat on the seat glumly, that was it. There were no other options…

The door opened and I could see two sets of heels through the gap under the door "did you see that man by the window?"

"The blond? Yeah, isn't he cute?"

"I know, but he looks just like that guy from Akatsuki"

"Who's that girl he's with?"

"Dunno, she's really pretty though, right?"

"I know. I wish I had her boobs, bet that guy just **loves** her!"

"Well, you know what they say; all boobs, no brains"

_No brains is right. Can't even sneak out of a restaurant correctly!_

They finished whatever it was they were doing and left, I emerged a few seconds later and followed them, making my way back to our table, our main course had arrived and the blond was waiting for me, he grinned as I sat down "hey, un, thought you'd gotten lost" I laughed quietly and began to eat the small steak in-front of me, he did the same and every so often our eyes would meet, he'd smile and I'd blush before eating again, to calm myself I reached for my drink, forgetting it was wine and ended up drinking the entire glass, I hiccupped quietly,

"Oops" I giggled, Deidara waved for the waiter,

"We won't be having desert, un. Just bring me the check" he poured me another drink which I downed just as quickly as the first "slow down, un. This from the girl who's always complaining she's underage?" he paid the man when he'd returned and led me from the restaurant out into the fresh air,

"I have low tolerance" I moaned, clutching onto the male beside me, he kissed the top of my head,

"Don't fall asleep yet, un. I have a surprise for you"

* * *

Rose: Ohhhhh! What's the surprise I wonder!

Review please!


	29. Sway

Rose: I've decided to upload this chapter as a present to you all. And I'd like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. With a bit of luck the next chapter should be next week but if not it will be just after the New Year. Happy Holidays!

Disclaimer: I own the plot and the OC's

This is a very long chapter! So you better enjoy it…Please? Most of it is build up.

* * *

The Akatsuki hideout was in a cave. So on-top of that cave there was an expanse of lush green grass, and near the edge of the cliff-side was a lone, bare, oak with hundreds of candles hanging from the branches, (and hidden around the corner was Zetsu's greenhouse) under it was a dark blue blanket with some pillows around the edge and two more blankets folded at the side, on one of the pillows was a champagne bottle and two flutes,

"Tadaa!" Deidara grinned as he carried me towards the scene, he thought it was more romantic than me walking all the way; and set me down by the tree before taking a seat next to me "like it? Un"

"It's lovely" I sighed, we sat in silence for a few minutes, just watching the lights in the village flicker, the blond had his arm around my shoulders and was leaning close, his fingers making circular patterns across the skin, I was shivering lightly but he didn't seem to notice, I wrapped my arms around myself in an attempt to warm up and at the same time he leant over to press his lips to the shell of my ear, I closed my eyes and waited as he travelled down my neck to suck my shoulder, I heard him shift as he positioned himself better; I whimpered slightly,

"Are you ready? Un" he whispered as his nose brushed my cheek, I took a few deep breaths but didn't respond "don't worry. We'll go slow" he pulled me towards the centre of the blanket and lay me down gently so he could lean over me, one of my legs was bent up and he pressed his hand to the thigh while his other arm was above my head to support himself, he kissed me quickly and I felt his hand slide up under my dress. In response I twisted sharply and he pulled it away and instead pressed it onto my hip, my eyes were still clenched shut so he pecked the lids softly before I felt him move away, cracking them open I saw him removing his jacket and I felt my heart race but couldn't decide whether it was because of fear or anticipation, he caught me watching him and quickly tossed the article to the side and returned his attention to me, I was practically hyperventilating "you aren't going to have another panic attack are you? Un" he joked,

"I think I'm past that by now" I replied quickly, he lay one of his hands on my neck and nudged his knee between my own before kissing me again, I remained motionless under him as he carried on with what he was doing. I had finally calmed down and was slowly beginning to respond to him when his hand slipped behind my back and began to slide the straps of the dress down my shoulders, I cried out and wriggled wildly, twisting my body to the side so he was forced to lie on me to keep me still "get off!" I begged "I've changed my mind!"

"Akina, un, it's fine, it's fine!" he tried to console me but I wasn't listening "just calm down! Akin…Ah!" my heeled foot sunk into his stomach and he recoiled, I scrambled to my feet and tried to run when I felt his hands clamp down on my upper arms with so much force I was afraid they might break,

"Let GO!" I cried, fighting him,

"We don't have time for this" he grunted, trying to pull me back "you're over-reacting, un, it'll be alright just…Just…" I was still squirming and tried everything to make him release his iron grip "AKINA!" he roared angrily and I fell limp, panting slightly, I could feel his fury rolling off him in waves "now just calm down!" he ordered forcefully "and listen…To…Me…" he trailed off when he finally registered how violently I was shaking; the leaves by my feet were vibrating because of it, my shoulders shook as I sobbed quietly, he sighed loudly and let go of me to slip his arms around my body and hold me close to him "I'm sorry" he whispered, resting his forehead on my shoulder "I didn't mean to shout at you, un" it took a few minutes but I finally became still "shall we give it one more try?"

"I don't want to" I mumbled, keeping my head low so he had to strain to hear me,

"I know, un" he whispered, stroking my hair "but we don't have any other options"

"Can't you think of something?"

"I tired, un. I even asked for more time but with no luck. Tonight is our last chance" I starting shaking again so he rubbed my arms "just one more go?"

"O…Okay" he sat me back on the blanket with him in-front, gently he lifted my head up and wiped at my eyes,

"I don't…Have anything, un, if you were worried about that kind of thing" he blushed,

"W…What?" I sniffed,

"Diseases, un" he elaborated "I don't have anything that you could get. I had Konan check just in case…You know how I used to 'whore myself out'" he chuckled, repeating the words I'd used to insult him once before, I smiled lightly and he mimicked it "I like it better when you smile then when you're crying" he said, shifting closer and placing his hands on my waist "ready?"

"No" I replied, voice shaky, he pressed his lips to mine for a few seconds and as he did the straps of my dress were pulled down, with the slightest touch I was forced to my back with him over me,

"Okay" he breathed, blond tresses tickling my nose, he grabbed my hand and kissed the ring "I'll need to get you a new one of these, un, this one's cheap"

"I thought it was real silver"

"It is, un, but it's not good quality; look, it barely shines anymore" he kissed it again and then my palm and the inside of my elbow all the way to my throat, I shivered when his hot breath washed over my cold skin "shhhh" he cooed, kissing me again "you're fine, we're fine. It's going to be okay" I bit my lip and nodded; he pulled back and untied my shoes for me before removing his own pair and setting them down by his jacket. In my stomach I could feel dread setting in once more but tried to remain in a composed state. He stroked my calves and then my thighs, settling himself between them, I let out a small noise of protest "Akina" he sighed, staring down at me "you're really beautiful, un" I was shaking again, we'd gone further than this a few times but this time I knew…I wasn't going to be able to say 'no' when we got too close, this was all or nothing, now or never…

"Dei…" I whispered, he blinked "please …" I saw panic set in his eyes,

"Petal, we can't…You don't understand, un…We have to-"

"I do understand but if you'd let me…"

"No you don't, un" he shouted "if you understood at all then you wouldn't be acting so stupid! There're more to this than just sex!"

"Like what?"

"Like…Like…" he paused as if trying to find the words "forget it, un. Just fucking forget it" he stood up and kicked the pillows angrily, he grabbed the champagne and flung it with as much strength as he could muster, it smashed against the trunk of the tree so loudly I flinched, the flutes soon followed "fine! FINE!" he turned back to me "if you don't want to then FINE! I can find someone else, someone who **will** want to! But you're going to spend the rest of your life as a stupid slut for the subordinates and don't EVER EXPECT ME TO COME SAVE YOU!" he screamed finally before turning his back to me to leave, at the last second I reached out and grabbed his hand, he stopped but didn't look at me,

"You never let me finish" I stated, I saw his shoulders jerk "I'm scared" I said, my voice cracking "I'm scared" I repeated and I saw him glance at me "you keep saying we'll go slow but all I can see and feel is you…You're going too fast! I'm about to give up everything I've ever known and I have to forget everyone I've ever loved and I want you to comfort me but you aren't…You aren't! You just want me to get over it quickly so you can have your fun and I don't want that, I need you to be here for me but you're only thinking of yourself" hot tears ran down my cheeks in little rivers and Deidara turned around fully "you're asking me to let go of everything but you aren't sacrificing anything for me…I know I'm your prisoner and you shouldn't be expected to give up anything for me but I want you to…I'm scared and I want you to give up some time to make me feel better…" I let my hands drop away from his and used them to cover my eyes to try and stem the tears as my legs curled under me, I heard a thump and knew he'd dropped down onto his knees, his arms wrapped around me and pulled me into his chest, I clutched onto his shirt and cried loudly

"I know you're scared, un, I know…" he whispered, stroking my back and nuzzling the top of my head "I'm the stupid one. Not you, never you. I've been so cruel to you. All the things I've done to you that, if this were a real relationship, you would've left me for. But I'm so idiotic and stubborn; I just know Itachi or Sasori, if he were still here, would have separated you and I if you'd only asked them but you never did. You just let me carry on, even when I abused you and hurt you, you never complained and never told anyone…I've always relied on you to let me vent my emotions and help me and now, when you need me the most I've abandoned you" he cupped my chin and forced me to look at him "I'm sorry, un…I'm here for you. I'll always be here for you as long as you need me so please…Give me another chance" he begged,

"I want to go inside" I murmured, his shoulders dropped and his eyes fell "it's too cold" he chocked,

"You…You still want to…?" I nodded "o…Okay, un, we'll go back inside and get some drinks and then we'll try again in our room…That is…If you're really sure? I mean, I don't have any back up plans but I'm sure we could find a way to trick Konan or…Maybe bribe her!" he grinned,

"That first part sounds promising" I laughed, wiping my eyes with the balls of my palms.

* * *

Deidara had gone to get us drinks whiles I waited back in his room, I'd let down my hair and removed my make-up and earrings, my shoes were by the bed and all that was left was to wait for him to return; it didn't take long before he was back with two mugs of Hot Chocolate, he took a seat on the bed beside me and handed one over, I smiled as I took it and sipped it happily, letting the warmth spread to every part of my body "what possessed you to try and make us do it outside?"

"I thought it'd be romantic, un" he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly and took another gulp of his drink "but winter probably wasn't the best time to try it. We should've snuck into Zetsu's greenhouse" I laughed,

"That would have been fun" he slid closer to me,

"I'm sorry about trying to rush you, un" he apologised quietly "I just wanted you to get over the bad part of this…'Arrangement' quickly so I could show you the nice side of it, the side I've been trying to explain to you since we met. I thought I was doing the right thing"

"I understand…But you should have known pressuring me wasn't going to help, even if it had worked it wouldn't have been good in the long run"

"Yeah, un" the blond placed his cup on the floor "I thought that might have been a side-effect" mine was empty too but I was still holding on to it for the lingering warmth, he gently plucked it from my hands and placed it beside his own "I've pulled the curtain down to try and prevent some of the wind from getting in, I did have a hot water-bottle somewhere but I think Hidan stole it cause he lost his"

"That's okay" I smiled "the duvet is pretty thick and we have our blanket" I held up the corner of the navy fabric,

"And each other, un" Deidara sniggered, pressing closer, I blushed lightly "though I'm not sure how effective that'll be if we're naked" I giggled at his comment and felt his arm slide up mine and grip my shoulder to turn me on my side so I could look at him fully "Akina…"

"Yes" I breathed,

"Sorry to be serious but…It's getting late and…What I mean to say is…Yes or no? Un" I blinked my sky blue orbs at his darker blue ones "and just so you know, if you say 'yes' there's no turning back. I won't stop, I'll slow down or pause but…I won't let this chance slip away"

"I…" I gaped up at him "I…Um…" he waited patiently "I…Don't really have a choice do I? It has to be 'yes'" he released the breath he'd been holding,

"Thank you, un" he said with relief "are you sure?" I nodded and he pressed his lips to mine softly, I held onto his biceps, nails digging in through the fabric of his shirt, under it I could feel some of his fake skin and shuddered, he whispered against my skin in response and kissed my throat, I gasped "it's okay"

"I know" I gasped again, pulling my legs up onto the bed, he moved around my neck and down to my chest, using his nose to push the chain of my necklace to the side, my blush had spread by now and had caught up with his kisses,

"You're so cute, un" he laughed, I pressed the back of my hand to my mouth in embarrassment, his hands slid over my thighs and caressed my stomach tenderly, slowly I began to lie down, leaning back a little bit more as he moved further south until I was eventually using my elbows as support, he made his way back up to my lips, kissing my body through the material of my dress, every touch send a shiver through me "you're much calmer now"

"Yeah" I breathed, not really knowing what else to say, he smiled, blue eyes shining as he nuzzled my cheek, I slipped my hands from his arms to the front of his shirt and began to undo the buttons, at the same time he rested one of his palms against my breast, he didn't do anything with it but just let it sit there, I didn't even feel the mouth move. When all the buttons were free I pushed the shirt down his shoulders so his back was available to my hands "you have really soft skin" I muttered, mostly to myself as I traced his shoulder-blades and then his chest, he blushed, a small pink tinge that spread across the bridge of his nose, he'd been doing that a lot lately,

"I've never really noticed before, un" he drew my attention back to his lips when he kissed me much harder than before, his tongue slid between my own and stretched to every reachable part of my mouth "you taste like chocolate"

"So do you" I giggled and leaned up to start a kiss of my own, he wrapped an arm around my hips and the other held the base of my head, I felt him push me back onto the pillows and held onto his waist, the hand on my back began to chew through one of the straps of my dress, I knew because it was nipping me every so often, I made a noise of protest "mot do dat" mumbled against his mouth before pulled back slightly "you'll ruin it!"

"I'll buy you another one, un" he shrugged, I frowned but he didn't notice and began to shift about, moving his legs either side of my waist so he was straddling me, he sat back and pulled his shirt off completely, I felt my pace quicken and sat up also, but only reached his stomach, my fingers traced the imprint of his muscles and the fine hair above his belly-button, he shivered in delight when I leaned forwards to kiss the soft skin as I un-buckled his belt, his large hands clamped over my smaller ones when I clutched the zipper "no fair" he grinning cheekily, I flushed at his meaning, leaning down he pecked my forehead and then my nose, closing his eyes I heard him take a few deep breaths "I don't know how much longer I can last…You're so alluring"

"You must have some serious self control" I replied, fiddling with the broken strap of my dress,

"You have no idea, un" he said, voice and face expressionless, I couldn't help but laugh, in false anger he pushed me down and began to leave wet kisses across my neck,

"Ah! No" I laughed "ah…That tickles!" I cried as he began to nip behind my ear,

"I know, un" he sniggered, continuing with what he was doing, while he was busy I reached up and pulled his hair out of the low pony-tail he'd put it in, all the golden locks came tumbling down all at once, tickling my face and framing his, I tossed the band over my head and out of sight, he blinked down at me, I shrugged and began to twist some of the strands around my fingers causing him to smile "you know, I think that dress would look much better on the floor" he teased, I giggled but didn't struggle as the article was tugged down my body, Deidara was more focused on removing it than what was under it, so when he'd finally thrown it off to the side and turned back to me his eyes widened "I…Wow!" he gaped "that's…Really…Wow" I blushed for what felt like the hundredth time,

"Um…Do you like it?" I wriggled nervously under his gaze,

"Yeah!" he answered as if it was the dumbest question ever asked "I can't believe you did this! Un, you didn't have too! Makes me wish I'd bought special underwear…"

"I…I know" I stuttered "it's just…" he waited patiently "actually, I can't think of a reason why I bought it…I guess I just thought it would be nice to have something different than wraps for once" the blond stared down at me with half-lidded eyes,

"I can't get over how gorgeous you are right now, un" he stroked the bra delicately before moving down to my stomach, the tongue of his hand dipped into my belly-button causing me to gasp and then carried on further to the edges of the underwear "would you mind if I…?" I shook my head and he slipped his fingers inside to stroke me, I moaned quietly, a finger slipped inside and then another and I arched my back, twisted in pleasure and kicked my legs whilst moaning for more. He wasn't at it for long though and pulled out to remove his own pants, which left him in his boxers "are you okay?" he asked, licking his fingers,

"Yes" I replied, barely in a whisper, he pressed his lips to my forehead in a comforting sort of way "I like it like this"

"What? Slow and steady? Un"

"Uh huh" I nodded in reply, he purred in my ear causing me to giggle so he did it again "you sound like a cat" he repeated the noise,

"Does it sound sexy? Un" I was caught off guard and was unable to find the words to reply with, he merely laughed and slipped a hand behind my back whilst kissing me deeply "where's the clasp?" he grunted "damnit! The one time I need to remove a bra and I can't do it!" I pushed him away and he took it for something else "oh, Akina I'm sorry I didn't mean to say that, I'm-" he stopped when I reached down between my breasts to where the clasp was, I took a deep breath as it fell to the bed,

"I…I'm sorry about how they look" I whimpered, crossing my arms over them shyly, he didn't reply and instead gripped my wrists firmly and pried them away, I fell back and he followed, tracing each scar with his tongue, causing shivers to run down my spine and my back to arch "oh" I moaned, he pulled his head back and gripped the false skin on his right arm, I followed his lead and stroked it, the sensations caused me to grimace, Deidara frowned "sorry"

"No problem, un. I know it's not the nicest thing in the world. I should have been more careful…Lesson learnt" he shrugged whilst I fingered the thick black stitches cautiously,

"What were you doing? When you lost them I mean?" his eyebrows twitched,

"I can't say, un"

"Did it have something to do with…Gaara?" he visibly flinched and I withdrew my hands,

"I said 'I can't say', un" he repeated forcefully, I lowered my eyes sadly,

"Doesn't matter, you answered the question. It was the Shukaku right?"

"Akina" he ground out,

"Did you kill him?"

"YES!" he shouted, his patience gone "okay? Yes I killed him! Why are you talking about **him** when I'm right here? You should be focused on me, un, not that stupid Sand-Rat! You should never think of him, only me! ONLY ME! I don't ever want you to stop paying attention to me!"

"For how long?"

"Forever, un. Until we die and until the end of time I want you to only think of me! I don't want any other man to enter your mind! Not even Tobi!"

"Why?"

"Because…Because…" his eyes widened and he looked panicked; I yelped when he lunged forwards and buried his face in my breasts, straining my ears I heard him mumble something that I couldn't quite make out "that's why! Un" he growled when he pulled back,

"I didn't hear"

"Good, un. You'd only think I was an idiot"

"Alright…" I bit my lip and remained motionless for a few minutes,

"Fuck! Un" I heard him grunt, I looked up "I fucking lost it!"

"You mean your temper?"

"No. I mean I lost 'it'! I told you I'd get erectile dysfunction" I giggled lightly as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, sitting up I used one arm to cover my breasts and the other to grip his shoulder, turning him towards me so we could kiss, he moaned against my mouth "you think you can turn me on that easily? Un" I giggled again and he tackled me to pin me down, in an instant his hands were tugging off my last piece of clothing, I let out a little shriek of shock when I saw him rip off his boxers "just relax" he rolled his eye. I reached up and pushed the bangs covering the left to the side so I could see both of them, most of it fell back into his face so I continued to brush it back, he sighed and closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of my fingers though his hair, eventually I managed to pin it behind his ear, he looked very different with his face fully revealed, the blue orbs opened once more and stared down at me intently "beautiful" I lidded my eyes in response and gave as good as I got in the next kiss he delivered, I expected him to try and enter me but although he was in position he didn't, he was aroused once more, I could feel him but couldn't understand why he wasn't trying,

"Dei…" I panted but he pressed his mouth to mine again, his hands were everywhere, mouths licking and biting; the skin of his finger-tips was rough compared to the rest of his body but I liked it, they never stayed too long on a single body part and were sending ripples through me at every touch, setting me on fire "Dei…" I tried again, but he moved onto my neck, kissing and sucking "Dara…" I arched my back and one of his hands slipped behind, my head fell back and he nipped at my breasts "ah…Dei…Dara" I moaned, his mouth attached itself to my nipple, sucking and licking, his other hand tended to the right one but my focus was only on his hot, wet mouth, the mouth that was currently teasing my body, sending ripples of heat and something I couldn't place down my body until it came to a stop between my thighs, I moaned "hah…" sweat ran down my temple as his teeth pinched the pearl,

He swiped at my core "I think you're ready, un" he informed, pulling back and licking his finger clean as he stared down at me, I nodded, and watched as he moved up my body, letting butterfly kisses decorate my skin,

"Will it hurt?" I asked fearfully,

"Yes, un. But it varies from person to person"

"For how long?"

"I don't know, un"

"Can we go under the blankets?"

"Of course" he pulled away and allowed me to slide under the thick covers, he followed after me, returning to our original position, I clenched my eyes shut and waited expectantly "you'll have to relax, un. Otherwise it'll just hurt more" still with my eyes closed I willed my body to become lax, his warm one slipped between my thighs and one of his hands gripped my own by my head to lace our fingers "ready?"

"I think so" he lowered his body against mine and I felt the tip "ah!" his hard chest against my soft one, and my tight, flat stomach against his bumpy abs made me realise how close we really were "oh…" he was almost completely in now, I whimpered as I felt myself stretch to meet him, it stung badly,

"Any second now, un" he grunted "just a bit further…"

"C…Careful!" I cried out, still not looking at him "tell me when you're about to…To…"

"Yeah" he pecked my cheek and his grip on my hand tightened "I'm just about there…" I took some deep breaths "just say when" I bit my lip,

_Three…Two…One…Go! Okay. Three…Two…One…Go…Go…SAY IT!_

"T…Three…" I started "T…Two…" I licked my lips,

_Just one more!_

"Did you want me to count? Un" he asked lowly, I shook my head,

"O…One…G-AHHH!" my scream ripped through the air,

"Akina? Un, I thought you meant 'three, two, one, go' not 'go on go'!" his voice was panicked,

"PULL OUT!" I shrieked "I'VE CHANGED MY MIND!"

"It won't make any difference! Un" he consoled,

"Make it stop" I begged instead, trying to sit up only to find it hurt more, tears rolled down my cheeks,

"I can't…I can't" he chocked, kissing my eyes "I wish I could but I can't. We just have to wait, un"

"Ah!" I sobbed "ow, ow, ow, ow, ow" he squeezed my hand again, ignoring my nails digging into his skin,

"I know, I know. But it'll past, just tell me when it passes and then it'll be alright, un" I bit my lip so hard it bled "don't do that!" Deidara chastised, licking the blood away, I took a few deep, labouring breaths as I tried to fill my lungs, the male had buried his face into my neck and I could here him panting loudly "you're so…Oh!" he couldn't help but moan "do you feel it?" I wriggled under him "do you feel me? Oh…You're like silk, un. I'm holding myself back but there's so much I want to do right now…"

"It doesn't hurt as much now" he lifted his head away and I felt him pull out the tiniest bit before I was forced to take all of him again, I threw my head back and cried out painfully,

"It's ache for a few more moments, un" the blond explained, my chest heaved and I felt sweat begin to form elsewhere on my skin "open your eyes!" he ordered, I refused but then he pressed our bodies flush against each other once more and I withered under him as he dragged his mass over me with each thrust, I was gasping and panting,

"There's no more pain" as I said it he sped up his movements and I groaned lowly,

"Akina" he panted "please…Look at me, un" still my eyes remained closed "are you imagining me as someone else?" he was joking but I could hear an undertone of hurt,

"That's very hard to do when your hands are kissing me" I twisted around as heat pooled in my belly, he laughed,

Slowly I cracked my sky coloured orbs open, wincing slightly at the ache caused from clenching them so tightly and for so long; they met with Deidara's and my entire body flushed "God…You're…Beautiful…" he struggled to say the words when he moaned again and his eyes rolled back into his head "hah…There's never been a girl quite like you, Petal" he moved his spare hand down to my hips and lifted them off of the mattress "stay there" the next thing I knew he was wedging a pillow under my backside, I mewed tenderly as he pumped into me again, this time deeper "you're very quiet, un" he commented,

"Is that bad?" I asked, with uncertainty in my voice,

"Not at all, un. I just want you to do one thing for me"

"W…What?" I arched my back and he kissed my throat,

"When you come…Scream my name, un" he shuddered above me suddenly "can you do that?"

"I…I think so"

"Good" he grunted before he kissed me "how close are you? I want you to be first, un"

"I…I'm clo-" I cut my self off when a gurgling noise rose up from my chest "oh…Oh my God!" I bucked lightly and the blond grinned,

"Just a little more…" he pushed in especially hard which caused me to cry out; my insides tightened,

"Ah…Ah…Dei!" he cooed me on until it finally happened "DARA!" I screamed, he groaned and let himself finally release, whispering my name in the process. I panted shortly into his neck when he collapsed on-top of me "Dei" I whispered, fingering his damp locks, he forced himself up onto his elbow and slowly slipped his hand out of mine to caress my cheek,

"Are you okay?" he asked, concern evident in his tone, I saw sweat roll down his face, towards his neck and into the indents of the muscles on his chest,

"Yeah" I breathed, he rolled off of me so I was now between him and the wall, it was too hot to cover ourselves with the blankets, so we left them hanging around our hips as I struggled to fight sleep, my eye-lids were becoming heavy like lead; Deidara seemed unaffected, he stroked my neck and then my breasts, working his way down to my stomach where he traced meaningless patterns into the hot skin, I was jealous as his fingers were so cool when compared to my fiery body, I took his arm and lay the hand across my forehead, allowing my eyes to close at last "why aren't you tired?" I yawned,

"I'm used to this, un" I could here in his voice that he was still slightly breathless "do you want to sleep?" he removed his arm,

"Why? Was there something else?" I hummed; he brushed his nose against my cheek and pecked my lips,

"Only if you want there to be, un" he replied, chuckling, I didn't respond and let myself relax only to shiver as the cold air around me caught up with my body, Deidara moved closer and I turned to face the wall, he pulled the covers up and tugged me against his warm form; it seemed that whatever my body temperature, he was always the opposite. One arm wrapped around my waist while the other slipped under my head to cradle it and fiddle with my hair, I was dozing lightly by now but felt him nip my neck,

"Dei…" I muttered, not continuing for a lack of energy,

"Mine, un" he whispered "my girl, my flower, my beauty, my muse…All mine. Finally all mine" his possessive words made me shudder with anticipation for I found his tone arousing but I was too tired to think of asking for more, at the back of my mind I thought of Konoha but it was quickly replaced by an image of Deidara, his hair messy, face flushed and eyes wide, I hunkered down into his arms more. Content with where I was currently lying.

* * *

Rose: Holy crap! This is almost thirteen pages! That's the longest thing I've written…EVER!

Now to wait and see what you think…I'm gonna go get a shield so I can avoid anything you may or may not throw my way!


	30. Memories

Rose: Okay. The story is still going on; there is more of the plot…JUST YOU WAIT! HAHA!

Disclaimer: No.

* * *

"Akina! Akina! Un, wake up! Please wake up" I was shook roughly but still my eyes wouldn't open, I whimpered and cried as I tried to force myself to wake fully "Akina!" with a final jerk my eyes snapped open and I shot up screaming "It's okay! It's okay!" a pair of arms tied themselves around me and pulled me back into a bare chest where I sobbed "shhhh" Deidara soothed "were you having a nightmare?" I nodded "not about me I hope, un" I shivered in his embrace "what was it about?"

"Something…Something was chasing me and it was big with these horrible red eyes and every time I thought I'd lost it, it would try and grab me and…And I…I was so scared" I gripped his shoulders tightly, he kissed the top of my head and lay back down with me still in his arms,

"It was only a dream, un, you're fine. Dreams can't hurt you" I sniffed quietly,

"Wh…What time is it?" I asked as he wrapped the covers around us again,

"About two, un, you've only been asleep for a couple hours" I hiccupped and he rubbed my back "go back to sleep. Nothing's going to hurt you" I shivered again and closed my eyes, Deidara continued to whisper and smooth my skin as he peppered me with butterfly kisses, he was tired, I could hear it in his voice but he was going to wait for me to succumb to it first; eventually my body became too heavy and I managed to fall into a light doze.

* * *

I awoke as the sun rose, being under the window the light snuck under the curtain and shone on my eyes, I wrinkled my nose and cracked them open, during the night I'd rolled over again but Deidara hadn't minded and was already awake, I could feel his fingers tracing the Anbu tattoo on my back over and over again. When he saw me move he slipped the arm around my waist and pulled me closer "morning Beautiful" he whispered, kissing my neck, I hummed in response "no more dreams? Un" I shook my head "good" I turned onto my stomach and stared at him "how do you feel? Better?"

I nodded "it's like there's this…Weight…That's been taken away" he smirked,

"Sex does that, un" I crossed my arms under my head to cushion it as mine had somehow been lost in the night and was now on the floor "do you hurt anywhere?" he was on his side still; his hand back to tracing my mark,

"My stomach aches" I mumbled, he shifted to his front and leaned over me, using his elbows as support he began to kiss and nip my neck and back, at the same time he pushed the covers down to my hips,

"Hmm. You'll feel better in a little while, un. When do you have to meet with Konan?"

"I don't know, whenever I suppose" I tried to shrug but only ended up wincing as a sharp pain stabbed my belly, the blond pecked my cheek and tried to slide an arm under me "Dei…" I whined "I don't wanna!" he ignored me and pulled me up, twisting me around so I was straddling him, with some strange mixture of a yelp and a hiss I clutched the covers to my chest and punched him in the shoulder "that hurt you jerk! You could be a little gentler!" he gripped my chin and pressed his lips to mine, making sure to hold onto my back so I was unable to pull away; after a few moments I felt my eye-lids flutter shut and I kissed back, I wanted to hold his shoulders though at the same time I didn't want the sheet to drop,

"Any moment now…" he breathed as he pulled back "…Someone is going to knock on that door and ruin this for us, un"

"How'd you-"

**KNOCK!**

"Deidara, Pretty Flower! Are you not coming to breakfast?" Tobi called as he continued to pound on the wood, I stared at the blond in awe,

"Told you, un" just as he said it the door-knob began to twist "TOBI DON'T YOU DARE!"

I slid off of Deidara's lap and onto my back, the blond frantically covered me with the duvet and was only just able to cover himself as Tobi flung the door open "oh…" he clapped his hands to his 'mouth' and sniggered, it took me a moment to realise why, but then it hit me, I was on my back with Deidara above me, both of us were barely covered and we happened to be in a compromising position

"Oh…Oh God!" I used Deidara's pillow to shield my face,

"GET THE FUCK OUT!" the Rock-Nin screamed, Tobi jumped and sprinted away, in an instant the man had leapt out of the bed and slammed the door shut, locking it in the process "there's no fucking privacy in this place! Un" I sat up, caught sight of a naked Deidara and buried my face again,

"Oh my God…Oh my God…Oh my God!"

"You said that last night too, un" he sniggered, I rolled away from him and curled into a ball, despite my stomach pulsing in protest, he crawled in behind me "now where were we?" he tried to pry the pillow away but I held it tight, he laughed "you aren't still embarrassed are you? Not after what we did together"

"Yes. Yes I am. I barely saw your nakedness and I don't really want to have to see it first thing in the morning!"

"Well what if-"

**BANG!**

"Hey Deidara, you alright? Tobi came running past the kitchen screaming at the top of his lungs about something involving you-"

"KISAME! GO AWAY!"

"So you're okay then?"

"YES! YES I AM FINE! NOW GO AWAY!"

"Hey what's going on?"

"Oh, hey. Tobi was saying something about Deidara so I came to see how he was, but he just keeps yelling at me"

Another bang on the door "hey you little fucker, are you okay?"

"HIDAN FUCK OFF! ALL OF YOU JUST FUCK OFF!"

"Well there's no need to swear!" I giggled at Hidan's remark,

"What's all the yelling about so early in the morning?" Deidara groaned as yet another person joined in,

"We were checking up on Deidara but he must be on his fucking period or something…" the Jashinist explained,

"Is Akina in there?"

**BANG!**

"Hey Deidara. Itachi want's to know if Akina is in there" Kisame shouted,

"YES! SHE'S IN HERE!" he was tugging at his hair in frustration "maybe if we ignore them they'll go away" he sighed, slouching against the wall, I sat up again and tossed the pillow into his lap; I tried to get out of the bed but he pulled me back "where'd you think you're going? Un" he nipped my ear "you need to recover"

"And yet you were trying to have sex with me not five minutes ago…" I cocked an eyebrow up at him but he merely smirked "I'm gonna go see Konan so I get it over with"

"No way, un. You're spending all day in bed"

"But-" I tried but he frowned at me with hardened ice blue eyes and I relented "fine…"

"I'll tell her to come by later, un. I wanna spend today with you, just the two of us…Which means…" he turned back to the door "**they** have to leave" he blew at his hair in annoyance before climbing out and fishing in the drawers for some clothes, I kept my eyes diverted as he pulled on his usual attire "be back in a minute, un" he unlocked the door and stepped outside,

"Is Akina alright? I heard a scream last night?" Itachi asked,

"Yeah come to think of it me too" Kisame added,

"She's fine, un" I heard Deidara reply "she had a bad dream and it scared her but she's fine now" their voices faded away down the corridor as the three men continued to ask him questions, I remained in the bed, hunched against the wall with the covers cocooned around my body, my toes were peeking out of the edges and I wriggled them before hiding them back under, as I did my eyes caught something just beside them, pulling back the duvet I saw a patch of red,

"Blood" I whispered "I'm not lying in that all day" my nose wrinkled at the thought of having lain in it all night, with a wince I forced myself to stand; it seemed like too much work to move to the chest of drawers, find some clothes, dress in them and then have to walk all the way to the airing cupboard that was practically on the other side of the base when my belly felt like it was on fire. The easiest option was wearing the shirt Deidara had worn the previous night for our 'date' as it came to the tops of my thighs, button up his Akatsuki cloak and use a pair of my shoes; I was limping slightly as I strolled down the hallway and it was cold, even with the cloak I could feel the chill run straight through me,

"Akina" I heard my name and turned to see a familiar blue haired woman coming my way,

"Oh, Konan" I smiled "morning"

"Ditto" she nodded, walking with me to the washroom where the cupboard was located "why aren't you at breakfast?"

"Deidara was going to bring it back to our room, why aren't you?"

"I was just heading to your room when I saw you turn a corner, where are you going? Oh, and I'll get some later" she was dressed in her usual clothes minus the cloak, I couldn't understand how she could withstand the freezing air, her hair wasn't pinned up either as she was prone to doing that after breakfast or when she had a mission,

"To get some clean sheets" I said as I stepped into the washroom, she followed after me,

"What's wrong with the others? It isn't time to change them yet"

"They…Um…Have blood on them" I mumbled shyly, as I pulled down a couple fresh ones,

"Is it your time? That used to catch me off guard quite often" she sympathised,

"Ah, no…I'm not due for another two weeks" I saw her blink at me,

"So…It's your…?" she moved closer as I nodded and stretched the collar of the cloak out so she could inspect my neck,

"How many are there?" I asked quietly, referring to the bite marks,

"About six. Come, I'll walk back with you" hugging the sheets I scurried after the older woman as we returned to Deidara's room, I removed the bed sheets quickly but had trouble replacing the clean ones because every-time I stretched it hurt; so Konan was nice enough to do it for me,

"Thanks" I grinned as she piled up the dirty ones "I'll take those if you want-"

"It's no trouble. Spend the day relaxing and I'll reschedule your check-up for tomorrow afternoon"

"Could you…Um…Throw those away please?" I asked, she smiled,

"Of course and when Kakuzu complains about the new ones, I'll give him 'The Talk' to make him stop grumbling" I giggled as she took her leave "good morning Deidara"

"Uh…Morning, un" he entered the room backwards with a tray in his hands "is everything…Whoa!" I sat down on the bed and blinked in confusion at him "that looks great on you…We should get you your own cloak!" I rubbed the back of my head nervously, he set the tray beside me an pulled me up "sexy, un…Now…If you were only naked underneath" as he said it he popped it open "close enough" he sniggered when he saw I was wearing his shirt "it's see through and you have no underwear" I clapped my arms over my chest quickly and in another panic I changed tactics and used one to cover my breasts and the other hand to cover my lower regions "you're cute" he flicked my nose and yanked the cloak off before throwing it on the floor "come on, in the bed"

"With no clothes?"

"Yes, un" he rolled his eyes and began to strip "the only reason I got dressed was to get food otherwise I'd still be naked" I turned my back on the blond and started to unbutton the shirt "oh seriously Akina. I've. Seen. You. Stop acting so shy" he peppered my neck and undid the rest for me before groping me teasingly "we aren't gonna do anything, I was only joking before" he nudged me into the bed where I cuddled down tightly "are these new sheets?"

"I didn't feel comfortable in the other ones…Oh and Konan said I can go to my check up tomorrow"

"Good, un, now we can spend the entire day like this" he set the tray on his lap when his eyes flickered to my neck "what's this?" he reached out and tugged at the chain, the pendent I'd worn the previous night fell into his palm "this is pretty…" he mused, stroking the swallow,

"I bought it for the irony mostly" I sighed, he chuckled and quickly snapped it off "ow!" he tossed it into the room somewhere,

"For that reason then, I don't like it, un"

"But you just said…" I sighed and cut myself off; he would never listen to reason "forget it…What's this?" I asked, jabbing at a flat, soft item, as I touched it I found it was warm,

"Itachi lent you his hot water bottle, un, cause Hidan lost mine and you don't have one" he passed it over where I could see it was covered in sheepskin, I pressed it happily to my stomach "you can't eat lying down" he frowned, biting into a piece of bacon and holding the other half out to me, I reached out for it but he quickly yanked it back "up" he ordered,

"But I-"

"Up or you get nothing, un" he grinned, I was hungry and he knew it,

"But it's cold"

"I'll keep you warm, un" I frowned and sat up, holding the covers to my chest "ah, ah" he shook a finger,

"W…What?" he sighed and began to move the tray to the floor, my belly growled "okay, okay!" I dropped the covers and blushed in embarrassment, keeping my eyes low; the blond smirked and draped an arm over my shoulders as he placed the tray across both our laps, there was bacon, two small bowls of raman, a couple mugs of hot chocolate, marshmallows and dango "this is all for breakfast?"

He shrugged "I was hoping it would last us a while, un" I broke the chopsticks and began with one of the raman bowls, I was careful not to spill any on the sheets as I didn't want them to be changed again, Deidara picked up the other bowl "do you remember our first week together?" he asked after swallowing,

I chewed thoughtfully "I think so, why?"

"What was I like? Un. Was I different to now?" I took another mouthful of noodles "was I **that** bad?"

"Yeah" I whispered "you were pretty horrible"

"I remember you didn't speak to me that entire week, un. And I was really jealous because you were clinging to Sasori all the time"

"_Here it is, un" Deidara had led me up from the cells and into the living area of the base, he was gripping my wrist just enough so as not to cause pain they were still tender but still tight enough so I couldn't get away from him "in this end there's the usual stuff like living room and kitchen, there's a garden that you get to from the kitchen and up here are the bedrooms, don't go into any of them unless you knock…On second thought I don't want you going in anyone's anyway" he pushed open one of the doors "this rooms mine, un" behind the door was the bed, with a chest of drawers at the foot, there was a single large window at the far end of the room and to my left there was a wardrobe and a door leading to a bathroom,_

_I yelped when he spun me around and wrapped his arms around me "let go!" I ordered,_

"_I feel like doing something artistic now that you're finally up here, un" as he said it he reached for my shirt and I tried to push him off "come on…" he growled "I want to see you!" I wriggled and stamped on his foot "OW!" he forced me onto the bed "those clothes are dirty, you need to change them anyway!" I landed a punch on his jaw and with a final shove I fled the room, he shouted after me and I ran into the living room when I took a random turn, there was someone already in there so I panicked, in the hallway Deidara shouted again,_

_It was the old man who'd fought Momo; he stared up at me with a bored expression "Is he becoming too boisterous?"_

"_You could say that" I whimpered, _

"_Behind the couch, quickly" he sighed, I did as I was told and curled into a ball, a few seconds later I heard Deidara enter,_

"_Hey, un. Is my Muse in here?"_

"_Did she get away from you, Deidara?"_

"_You could say that, un" the man chuckled for a reason only I knew "well?"_

_  
"She isn't in here. Why don't you try the garden?"_

"_Crap…If no-ones watching her she could get out! Un"  
_

"_Not without Chakra" Deidara didn't reply and was already gone "you can come out now" I crawled into the space beside him and hung my head low, he ignored me and continued to work on the puppet on the table before him,_

"_Is this one new? You didn't use it in the village" I asked quietly,_

"_No, it's not new. I'm just modifying it" the puppet was thin and short with a shock of red hair on its head, it reminded me of Gaara,_

"_You were the one who broke out Deidara…Right?" he nodded "what's your name again?"_

"_Sasori" he replied "and you're Akina. Deidara hasn't stopped talking of you since we brought you back" he tightened another bolt on the puppets leg,_

"_That looks really tricky. Kankuro's a puppet master too but I've seen him struggle when he has to fix them, you make it look so easy" I leaned closer to watch,_

"_It's very easy if you know the puppet, here, I'll show you" handing me the screwdriver he pointed to another smaller joint "just twist it in slowly, but not too slowly. I'm impatient you see?" I nodded and tried my best but the screw kept slipping "you're too unsteady" he gripped my arm "now try" this time it went in slightly, I smiled and laughed,_

"_Wow, I'm fixing a puppet! Kankuro never let me do this!" I giggled again as Sasori took back the tool,_

"_For an Anbu Captain you are very easily read" he commented "I do believe if I had been the one to capture you I wouldn't be able to decide whether to turn you into a puppet or a doll"_

"_What's the difference?"__  
"I only use the puppets to fight. The dolls are merely for my own amusement and decoration…But since I have no intention of doing that would you mind if I called you 'Little Doll'?"_

"_I don't think __**Deidara**__ would like that" I fell back onto the couch and crossed my arms angrily,_

"_Hmm. I suppose you're right. I'll call you by your name then. But one day I shall make a little doll in you image, just for you"_

"_Hey, what's going on? I heard laughter, un" Deidara froze when he saw me beside the puppet-man "there you are!" he grinned and reached out for me only for me to flinch away "what's the matter? Come on!" he grabbed my arm painfully tight and yanked me to my feet, I cried out "what? No come back?" I glared at him viciously "your eyes don't look so beautiful when they're full of hate, un" he murmured, pulling me closer, I kicked his stomach and wrenched my limb back so I could sit with Sasori again, Deidara's face turned red,_

"_I think she wants to stay here" Sasori voiced my actions "and she's giving you the silent treatment" the blond clenched his fists angrily,_

"_Fine, stay here with the stupid puppet, then, un" he turned and stormed out of the room, a couple minutes passed before a series of explosions were heard echoing around the base as he released his fury._

"I wasn't that bad…Was I? Un" Deidara scratched the back of his head "be truthful"

"You were" I frowned "you never let me do anything, you wanted to stop me talking to the others and you tried to force yourself on me a few times"

"I wasn't trying to rape you, un!" he defended quickly "I was just really eager to see you…I wonder if that counts as abuse, un. No wonder Itachi was always trying to get me out of the base for the first couple of months, I suppose he didn't want me to scar you or something…" the arm he'd wrapped around my shoulder was gracefully tracing circles into my skin,

"Deidara…" I started; he hummed "last night…" I placed my empty Raman bowl on the tray with the chopsticks "…It didn't change anything…It was a one off! After today we're going to go back to the way things were" I clenched my eyes shut as I finally said it, he shifted slightly,

"No, un, it's not. Things are different now"

"What?" I gaped at him "no they aren't!" he moved the tray to the floor and rolled over quickly, pinning me under him,

"Oh yes…They are!"

* * *

Rose: HAHA! Cliff-hanger! I am evil!

Review please!


	31. The Morning After

Rose: So I left you reeling last chapter! Haha! Now to see what will happen!

Disclaimer: OC's and plot.

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If someone where to have walked into the room at that moment they would have assumed Deidara and I were having sex, he was moaning and I was thrashing around under him, to anyone that seems like the logical answer to an unknown question,

But that was not the case.

Deidara was moaning because I'd just kicked him in his most sensitive area, and I was thrashing because he'd collapsed on me in pain and I was having trouble breathing "you're kissing that better! Un" he grunted, one hand still holding himself and the other pushed on the mattress to hold him up away from me,

"Like hell I am!"

"Oh yes you are! Un. I deserve that much"

"If you hadn't of been forcing yourself on me I wouldn't have kicked you!"

"Crap, this hurts so badly, un" he grit his teeth and rolled onto his back,

"Maybe you should see Konan-"

"No way! She'll tell the others and then I'll be a laughing stock! Un" I paled slightly at the realisation that she was probably going to gossip to the others about the sheets "you have to check it"

"What? I barely have any medical knowledge and I don't have any Chakra!"

"Just see if it's swollen or bruised or something, you hit it pretty hard" he stared up at me pleadingly,

"Oh…Fine" he moved his hands and my eyes widened, it was soft but still quite large, Sakura and I along with some of the other girls had once spent an afternoon flicking through a medical book with pictures of male anatomy in it so I knew a big one when I saw it, but this was the first time I'd seen one in real life, my cheeks flushed slightly "it…it looks okay. There's no bruising or anything"

"What about swelling? Un"

"It doesn't look-" I was trying not to stare too much but he kept making me look at it again,

"You can't tell by looking! Un, you have to touch it!"

"But I-"

"Akina!" he moaned, eyes clenching shut and his head falling back "it really hurts! Un"

"Fine! Fine!" I slid the tip of my finger down the length, I felt it twitch slightly before I traced the other side and under it, Deidara panted "it feels…Normal? I guess…"

"There has to be something wrong, un, it's killing me" I continued running my finger over it, then added another and another until finally my entire had had grasped it, I was still checking for swellings when I felt it tense up suddenly,

"Oh my God!" I shrieked, yanking my hand back; it had just grown two inches before my eyes "you…It…How…"

He grinned up at me "fooled ya, un" he dived at me and crashed his lips to mine "so what were we arguing about before?" as he said it he lay a hand on my exposed breast and began to kneed the flesh, his hand sucking at the same time, I moaned quietly "oh yeah…How nothing was going to be different? Well I think I can quite easily disprove that Petal!" he licked my neck and between my breasts down to my belly before moving back up,

"Don't think this is going to be some clichéd moment where after we've had sex **once **we suddenly start doing it all the time…Because it's not going to happen like that! Last night was a one time thing! Another of your one-night stands!"

"Oh I beg to differ, Beautiful, un" the blond smiled lightly "there's so much I want to do with you and there's plenty of time for you to learn; last night was only the first part. From here on out you and I are going to create wonderful masterpieces!" I wriggled as he attached his lips to my skin again and slid his hands over every other part "I didn't give these much attention last night, did I?" one hand returned to my chest but the other slipped between my legs,

"Deidara! I haven't…I mean…The sheets needed to be changed because…We…I…"

"You want a bath you mean? Un" I nodded frantically "why didn't you just say so? I'll run one now" he climbed away and strolled to the bathroom, I breathed a sigh of relief "we can enact that fantasy you had!" he laughed and I chocked on air.

* * *

"Deidara this is wrong" I whispered lowly, my want for a bath had won over my embarrassment of a naked Deidara, the tub was located in the corner and was rounded on one side so it was quite roomy, despite that though the man insisted on invading my section while I was trying to wash, and now I was stuck on his lap as he trickled water down my back,

"Why? Un"

"Our villages hate each other"

"We aren't part of them anymore, un" his hand nipped my backside,

"I'm still loyal to mine"

"That's irrelevant, un" the other one sucked my neck,

"There's no way was this relationship can work"

"Hmm?"

I fidgeted and twisted my hands in the bubbles "what do you think is going to happen? We're going to live in Ame for the rest of our lives? For all we know that could be until next week!"

"So we better get in as much sex as possible, un" he joked, twisting me around so I was straddling him, I averted my eyes from his,

"I don't want to watch you killing my friends" I muttered after a moment of silence "you already killed Gaara and at some point you're going to try and capture Naruto" he frowned "I don't-"

He forced the back of my head down close to his "if Naruto has to die it won't be because of me, un, he's Itachi's target and it was just dumb luck you knew Gaara" he stopped me from replying with a quick kiss "and about the living in Ame thing…I could easily get us transferred to another hideout, just the two of us"

"What about your partner?"

"I don't have one. Sasori's dead remember? Un" I scowled and he sighed before bucking his hips, the water splashed over the sides and I grabbed his shoulders to hold myself away from him,

"Stop that!" I felt his hand grip my thigh, I was confused for a second until he jerked my leg out, causing me to lose my balance and crash into his chest; he used the opportunity to keep me pinned down by tying an arm around my waist "Dei-" he slammed his mouth onto mine,

"Shut up, un. Why can't you just enjoy this?" he rubbed himself against me "can't you let go for just a moment?"

"Ah…" I threw my head back and moaned, he nipped my throat and added to the marks already there "Dei…I don't-" he cut me off by lifting his lower body and sliding inside me gently "Dei…This is the last time!" I said firmly before closing my eyes,

"Of course, un" he whispered, holding me closer "until the next time…"

* * *

I'd fallen asleep after our moment in the bath, like before Deidara was awake before me and was leaning against the headboard as I used his stomach for a pillow, he was running his fingers through my damp hair as I breathed lowly, eventually I sat up and pulled the covers around my form, he didn't argue and instead wrapped his arms around me as I cried into his chest; he rubbed my back "I know, un. I know…" he whispered, pulling me closer, I curled up in his embrace and buried my face into his shoulder,

"I can't go back…I can't go back" I sobbed, he nuzzled the top of my head "it's all over…I should have said 'no'!" his arms twitched "I want Abir…" I sniffed before bursting into fresh tears,

"Funny how it all came crashing down at once, un" Deidara sighed, stroking my arm, I ignored him and continued to cry,

"Oh God…I'm a traitor! There's nothing for me! I want to die!"

"No you don't!" the blond said sharply "don't ever say that! Un"

"It's true…Kill me please!" I begged, he flinched,

"I'm not going to kill you…I'm never going to kill you, un, and you're never going to kill yourself. You're a little upset but you'll get over it. Shit happens, you just have to deal with it" I took a shuddering breath "come on, Beautiful…I hate it when you cry" he tried "please…Stop, stop for me, un" I sobbed again but was able to stop the tears "that's my girl" he whispered "did you want to go outside?" I nodded and Deidara slipped away from me to dress himself,

He wore the clothes he'd discarded earlier and picked his cloak up off the floor; I let the blond lift me up and hold me in his arms, he pecked my forehead and set me on my feet before pressing some clothes into my arms, still in my state of limbo I let the covers drop to the floor, to my slight surprise the man didn't look at me and instead turned his back to give me some kind of privacy, I dressed in a high collared, long sleeved white jumper and a pair of violet pants, when I was done the cloak was thrown over my shoulders; I slipped my hand into Deidara's and tied my fingers with his; it didn't hurt to walk as much now as the combination of the hot water bottle and the temperature of the bath had helped the muscles to relax, though there was still a dull ache,

"I liked it when you held my hand last night" I voiced quietly "you didn't have to" he shut the door behind us and flushed slightly,

"Yeah, un, I just thought it would make you feel better"

Whenever I cried about something there was always a kind of awkwardness that would surround and suffocate us for a few hours afterwards, usually when that happened we'd avoid each other for as long a possible until it went away but this time it felt even worse than usual "it's getting dark" I sighed in disappointment when we made it outside,

"Yeah, un, you were asleep for nearly the whole day…I guess after the bath everything just came over you…You missed lunch and dinner but I didn't want to wake you so I just stayed in bed with you in-case you woke up"

"I don't want to die"

"What?"

"What I said before…It was a stupid thing to say, I don't want to die"

"Good, un" we were standing just outside of the entrance to the hideout "because I don't know what I'd do if you did die" the lights in the village were flickering and some were even going out "Akina…There's something important I need to tell you" I turned to look up at the blond,

"Yeah? What is it?" he took a deep breath and exhaled through his nose,

"You're a piece of art, un, and…My art…Well, I really like art, especially **my **art and because you're my muse and also someone I create art with, that technically means you're my art too and, um…I really like art…Er…"

"Dara…What are you trying to say?" I furrowed my eyebrows, his face turned red and even in the dim light I could see his cheeks glowing,

"Akina, un…I…I L…I L…" he gulped loudly "I L…Ike you" he said finally, shoulders slumping,

"Well…I like you too" I shrugged "even if you are an ass sometimes and I'm a cry-baby"

"No…I mean…I like you a little more than that, un"

"I'm not following" I droned, blinking in confusion, he removed his hand from mine and tugged at his un-brushed hair, it made me think of my own tangled mess and I quickly began to pick the knots apart with my fingers,

"Akina…" I stopped and turned back to the blond "I like you, un, in a way that I probably shouldn't…But it's not actually 'like' as in 'like' it's more than that…I…Um…" he paused to think and I remained silent, secretly wondering what he was trying to say "I…Adore you"

"What does that mean?"

"I…I don't know, un" he stated simply "I don't know how to say what I feel any other way except like that. I adore you Akina, I really do! You're special, there's no-one else like you! And…That's all I can say to express it!"

"I don't understand" I shook my head,

"Me either, un" he sighed "I never thought my life would get this complicated…" I giggled, he smiled lightly,

"It's a nice night" I whispered finally, he shifted nervously before nodding,

"Yeah, un…Don't get them like this in Iwa I can tell you that!" a gust flew by and racked my body with shivers, I hugged the red-patterned cloak a little closer to my body, the man caught the movements "if you want to go back inside you only had to ask, don't think you have to do things to make me happy"

"Like the bath?" I teased, he chuckled sheepishly,

"I promise not to do that again…Unless you really want me to, un" he grinned, I stuck my tongue out and he quickly pulled it into his mouth "c'mon. Let's go get something to eat"

"I want to stay here" I mumbled, leaning up to him again, he wrapped an arm tenderly around my hips and back and I slipped mine around his neck, if anyone were to have walked outside at that moment…They wouldn't be able to tell where Deidara ended and I began…

* * *

Rose: Not happy with the last four paragraphs but couldn't think of a way to improve them!

Review please!


	32. Business as Usual

Rose: Yay! Yay! Yay! I love your reviews; it's really great to know you people love this story so much!

Disclaimer: OC's and Plot.

* * *

I went to my check-up without Deidara, it was simple enough really; I lay on my back; she checked my hymen to make sure it was torn, the hymen isn't a perfect way of telling if a girl is a virgin but when fully broken it is a good indicator, and Konan knew mine was mostly intact when I first arrived. It didn't take five minutes, but as I was leaving she called me back,

"Akina, there's a stomach bug going around. So it would probably be in your best interest to move that bed of yours away from the window and to come straight back here if you begin to feel sick" I nodded,

"Yeah, sure. Of course" I shut the door to the infirmary gently before taking a stroll down to the training room, an open topped area where the others like to spar and practice jutsu's, Tobi, Kisame and Itachi were the only ones there, the latter was honing his agility by dodging swinging sacks as the other two watched him, I joined them quietly, my presence must have distracted the Uchiha for he moved a second too slowly and was knocked to his back,

"You okay?" his partner asked, he picked himself up and dusted his shirt off,

"Fine. My eyes blurred at just the wrong moment. It threw me off" I'd heard that Itachi was going blind, it had been written in the Bingo Book and the other members often spoke about it, Tobi bounced over to me and hugged me tightly from behind,

"Tobi missed Pretty Flower yesterday; she didn't come out of her room **all** day!" I blushed lightly; Kisame saw and came to my rescue by pulling the man off me,

"Deidara won't be happy if he comes in and sees you draped over his women, Tobi" the masked man scratched the back of his head cluelessly,

"But Tobi always hug Pretty Flower…Why is now any different?"

The taller male blanched "like hell I'm explaining the facts of life to you, kid" he dropped his 'hostage' and turned away "oh Akina…Glad to know you've finally been **deflowered**! Haha, I bet you taught Deidara a few things!" I flushed angrily but tried to hide it as Itachi strolled over,

"Pretty Flower is no longer a flower!" Tobi screamed "then what is she?" he began to tug at his hair and asked questions that I didn't know how to answer, Itachi tapped my shoulder,

"Are you alright?" he asked, out of earshot of the still screaming man,

"I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" I grinned, bright blue eyes shining "did you want some help with your eyes?"

"You aren't a medic…And even if you were my eyes are un-healable"

I waved a hand dismissively "not like that, it's a training tactic I'd put together when I first became an Anbu" I reached up and removed his headband "first, you need to be blindfolded" I placed the headband over his eyes and tied it tightly "is that okay?" he nodded "now the way I used to do this was to discreetly spread out my chakra, kind of like a sonar, so I would be able to sense opponents, it heightens your other senses at the same time"

"What else do I need to do?" he was being surprisingly docile which I found unusual as Itachi was not known for his calmness when being touched,

"Um…We'll start off with simple punches, I'll aim for your shoulders and you have to try and block me…No Sharingan either!" he nodded,

"Fine"

"I'll alternate between left and right, starting with the right, okay" he nodded again, my fist shot out and hit him on the shoulder, his hand had reached out to grab me but had missed by a few centre meters "okay, now the left" this time his fingers skimmed my knuckles and when I punched again with the right he caught it in his palm "wow, you got it a lot quicker than me"

"I think I understand now. I need to practice the release of my chakra, I'll use the sacks to hone it" he lifted the headband so he could see,

"Are your eyes bad all the time?" I asked,

"No, it's because of the Sharingan that I am becoming blind. But I have to keep using it so it's an endless circle" I rolled my eyes,

"If you use it to fight then why don't you not use it to train?" he blinked at me before tying the headband over his eyes once more and turning back to his training, I took my leave of the room to as it began spitting, even though I was barely twenty feet from the door I was soaked by the time I reached it, Tobi followed me but Itachi stayed behind in the now downpour,

"Does Pretty Flower want to stay with Tobi?" I turned to stare at him,

"Sorry Tobi, I'm gonna go get changed and then maybe lie down. I feel really tired" I waved goodbye to him and trotted off down the hallway towards Deidara's room,

When I stepped inside the doorway I didn't feel the mans presence, but I did see a box on the bed, it was small and square with a note on top of it saying it was for me. I stared at it with curiosity before opening it slowly…

It was empty. There was an indent where a necklace should be but nothing else,

I frowned, why would he leave an empty box for me? I was pondering silently when a shadow surrounded me and something heavy was dropped onto my chest, looking down I saw a large, blue, teardrop shaped crystal hanging from a thin silver chain "surprise! Un" Deidara enveloped me from behind, burying his face into my hair "like it?"

"It's very pretty" I voiced, holding it in my palms, when I let it drop I noticed that the chain was just long enough so that the crystal fell into the valley of my breasts,

"It's nicer than the swallow, un, right?" I nodded before yawning suddenly "you're tired?"

"Yeah, I don't know why though…" he pulled back and I stretched before falling onto the bed "I woke up late today so I know I got enough sleep, and I haven't done anything overly exerting"

"Are you sick?" he placed the back of his hand to my forehead "you're not hot, un" he frowned,

"Oh…Konan said we should move the bed so that it's away from the window, something about a stomach bug going around…I dunno" I rolled over and closed my eyes, only to realise my damp clothes were uncomfortable, with a sigh I pulled my shirt and pants off so I was left in my wrappings and underwear, I then crawled under the covers and returned to my original position, Deidara sat on the bed beside me, tapping his chin in thought,

"She never told the rest of us about any stomach bug, un"

"Probably because she knew that even if you got it you'd ignore it and continue on with your day as per normal…Like the men you are!" he slumped down behind me and wrapped his arm around my waist, though he remained above the covers,

"That's not nice, un" he kissed me behind the ear, causing me to giggle "I adore you" he whispered sweetly,

"Hmmm" I replied, falling into a light sleep.

* * *

It was happening again, everything was dark, the only thing I could see were blood red eyes, watching me carefully, shadows constricted my waist like a snake, I couldn't breathe…I couldn't scream…I kicked out wildly but more shadows held my legs. I was forced onto my back and the red eyes above me glowed menacingly. There was nothing attached to them, they merely stared down from above me somewhere; I fought with everything I had before my ears perked "Akina…" a whispering voice called, I froze in fear "Akina…" it was getting louder, like it was coming closer, I started to cry,

"Dei…" I whimpered "help…Help…HELP!"

The voice was screaming now "AKINA!"

"AKINA!"

"AKINA!"

"WAKE UP!"

My eyes snapped open and met with a pair of concerned blue ones "Deidara?" I asked tentively, he frowned,

"Yeah, un. What happened? I left for like, two minutes and when I came back you were crying and thrashing about" looking around I saw it had been Deidara's arm around my waist and legs, he was the one who'd forced me onto my back to try and wake me up, I shivered,

"I had another dream…This time it was worse, the red eyes…They caught me and there was a voice I didn't recognise that was calling out to me and I couldn't breathe, I thought I was going to die!" the blond frowned,

"You didn't have a nightmare last night, un"

"B…But I did the night before" he nodded,

"And now you've had another, un, almost like there's a pattern, so if you don't have one tomorrow night we'll know when the days are that you can sleep peacefully" I yawned,

"What time is it?"

"It's almost dinner, un" I gaped at him,

"I've been asleep for three hours?"

"Er…Actually, un" he started sheepishly "it's four hours, I told the others how tired you were and they agreed to wait a little longer but I don't think they'll like it if you don't come now" he backed off of the bed and waited for me, I rubbed my eyes tiredly,

"It feels like I only got into bed five minutes ago" I stumbled out of the covers and pulled on some fresh clothes, as we strolled to the kitchen, I yawned and rubbed my eyes continuously,

"You can stay in bed if you want, un, I'll just bring you some dinner later" I shook my head,

"No, it's fine, maybe some food will wake me up a little" I brought my hands up to my face as we entered the kitchen, some of the guys caught the movement,

"Oh my God; that's adorable!" Kisame laughed, Hidan joined him "rubbing her eyes, aw!"

"I have to admit that was pretty fucking cute"

"Are you alright?" Itachi asked for the second time that day as I sat opposite him and beside the Mist-Nin, in a flash Tobi was on my other side, but as far as I could tell he hadn't been in the room until then, Deidara scowled, he'd obviously wanted to sit there but he let it go and sat beside the Uchiha,

"I'm fine, just a little tired still"

"Geeze Deidara, stop riding her so hard" the silver haired man sniggered, the blue skinned male beside him stuffed his knuckles into his mouth to stop himself from laughing too because Itachi was glaring angrily at him; daring him to even giggle. I flushed and Deidara growled,

"Shut the fuck up Hidan! Un"

There was a clattering sound as Kakuzu turned and threw the knife he'd been using to cut vegetables at his partners head "aw fucking hell! What's your problem?" the rest of us stared in shock at the realisation that Hidan's brain had been impaled; the knife had sunk right in, the handle being the only thing not to have entered his head,

"Whom-so-ever pulls the knife from the rock-head…Shall from this day forward, be named King…Or Queen…Of the kitchen and have bragging rights over all others!" I declared, the others laughed,

"Aw fuck you all!" Hidan snarled, he reached up for the knife only to find it was well and truly stuck "FUCKING HELL! Konan get it out!"

"Not until after dinner, I don't want my appetite ruined because of you"

"Shit…Fuck…Bitch…" he crossed his arms "fine then…" everything was calm and silent for a few moments before he opened his mouth again "Akina was he good?"

"I…Er…Um…" the others were yelling at him to be quiet so no-one heard me stutter anyway,

"I'm just asking! Jashin…" all eyes but mine were trained on the Steam-Nin "what?"

No-one answered and continued to glare at him nastily; I kept my eyes low, trying to hide the blush on my cheeks, Tobi wasn't staring at Hidan either, he was resting his chin on his hand and humming lightly "alright, dinners served" Kakuzu broke the tension in the room by setting plates out, Hidan cursed a few more times before snatching up his bowl and stalking out,

"I don't need this!"

I yawned again "you're right Akina" Konan sighed "Hidan is tiring" we all broke into sniggers once more.

* * *

That night I had another nightmare. But the next night I didn't. Deidara's suspicions were proved true, but even though I knew when I would have a dreamless sleep I was still tried throughout the days, I made sure only to doze and shot up at the slightest movement or noise, by the ninth night, a night I was due for another nightmare, Deidara was sick of it,

"Go to sleep! Un" he ordered, he'd moved the bed a few days prior to the left-hand wall, away from the window so it was never cold anymore, even so, I shivered violently,

"B…But the nightmares! They're g…Getting worse and worse every t...Time!" I refused to lie down, eventually the blond forced me under him where he could feel for himself how frightened I was, he tied both arms around me and breathed onto my neck,

"I'm here, un, I'll wake you if you start to dream, just like I have for all the other nights" I nodded and he rolled behind me so I was on the outer side of the bed, still with his arms around me he held me tight and stroked my hip "now, go to sleep" he soothed, still trembling I closed my eyes and tried to let sleep overcome me, behind me I felt Deidara's body relax and knew he'd dozed off, my assumptions were proved correct when he let out a quiet snore, I shivered in his arms and he unconsciously pulled me closer. Slowly darkness consumed me,

I blinked sleepily, it must have been hours but to me it felt like only seconds. There was something in here…Then I heard it, soft footsteps across the stone floor, becoming almost silent as they hit the rug in the centre of the room, I flinched and clenched my eyes tighter, my breathing rapidly increased, was I dreaming?

_Oh God let this be a dream!_

The footsteps came closer and I felt a shadow fall over us, I skipped a breath when something or someone touched the side of my face and traced it down to my throat, I gulped under the pressure of their fingers and they pulled back, I almost let out a sigh of relief until the fingers returned and pressed harshly into my stomach, with a jerk I leapt up and twisted my head wildly to find whomever was sneaking about, but there was nothing! Deidara's arm dropped from my waist to my lap "whasamatter?" he gurgled,

"N…Nothing" I muttered,

"Did you have another dream? Un" he sat up lazily, though he was on edge he was still slightly annoyed, I waited before replying,

"Yeah…" I lay back down and buried my face into his shoulder,

"I adore you, un" he chuckled,

"Yeah…" I repeated.

* * *

I woke up the next morning, tired and achy with a nauseous feeling in the pit of my stomach, sitting up only made it worse and I groaned; Deidara had his back to me but rolled over when he heard me "bad dreams?"

"Yes…But now I feel sick!" he sat up, the covers dropped to his hips and I saw goosebumps rise up on his chest, he felt my forehead like he'd done over a week before,

"No temperature, un, maybe you're still ti-AH!" I threw myself over the side of the bed and emptied my stomach onto the floor "nice…" my partner grunted, resting a hand on my hip,

"Stomach bug…" I sighed "Konan warned me about it"

"She said to go see her if it hit, right? Un" I nodded "okay, let's go" he was careful to avoid the puddle as he dressed,

"What about-"

"I'll get Tobi in here, un. C'mon!" he yanked me up and pushed some clothes into my arms "you also might want to mouthwash…Or something" he rubbed the back of his head and I frowned before heading towards the bathroom.

* * *

Rose: Oh deary, Akina is sick.

Review please!


	33. Breaking News

Rose: Hiya! Sorry to all of those who feel this plot is moving slowly. I have it all planned out but I never realised it would take so many chapters! I guess all the emotional stuff and bonding takes up a-lot more than I originally thought.

Disclaimer: OC's and Plot!

Lemon! And a good one at that!

* * *

"Okie Dokie Akina, lie back over here would you?" Konan directed me to one of the beds in the infirmary, still clutching my stomach I wobbled over; Deidara behind me with his hands on my back to keep my steady, it was a relief to fall back into the pillows and the sickly feeling left almost as-soon as I did, the blond remained close to the headboard, a worried expression set deep into his face as he glanced from me to the medic, I felt him slip his hand into mine and squeeze,

"So…This is just your everyday, garden variety, stomach bug, un, right?" he asked,

"Oh, I lied" the bluenette smiled cheerfully "there never was any stomach bug…Well, they're might have been, you never know in this place…But at this particular time I made it up!"

"WHAT?" the two of us shouted "so what's wrong with me?" I cried fearfully, Deidara's grip tightened,

"Well, during that check up about nine days ago I noticed something unusual. I wasn't entirely sure what it was so I thought I'd call you back in when you got sick" she explained,

"But how did you know I'd get sick?"

"I should have thought it was obvious by now" the man and I exchanged looks of confusion "you really don't know?"

"What's wrong with her? Un" Deidara demanded "what's wrong with my damn woman? Fix her! Heal her! Do something…Anything to make her better!"

"I can't **do** anything!" Konan sighed, rubbing her face "the sickness should disappear in a couple weeks at the most, you have to let it run its course"

"So it's just a cold? Un"

"Deidara!" she grit her teeth "Lord have mercy you are so stupid!" he blinked at her "men are fucking hopeless at picking up hints!"

"Huh? Un"

"SHE'S PREGNANT! PREGNANT YOU MORAN!" she screamed finally "geeze!"

"WHAT?" we shouted again, me out of shock and Deidara out of delight, I gaped at him "with a baby? Un"

"No, a puppy! God!" the woman shook her head and sighed at me "how do you put up with him?" the blond grabbed my shoulders and pulled me up onto my knees so he could hug me,

"We're going to have a baby! Un, we're going to be parents!" I slowly returned the embrace, still in a state of dead-mindedness, as soon as I did though he pulled back and turned to Konan again "is it a boy or a girl? How big is it? How far along is she? When-"

"One question at a time!" she interrupted "okay. It's too soon to tell the sex. She's just hit her third week-"

"I'm sorry! What?" I cut in "my third week? B…But we only did it ten days ago!"

"Eleven technically, un" Deidara corrected, I scowled at him and he recoiled slightly,

"Well, I'm telling you you're about fifteen days along, that's the third week"

"B…B…"

"There was that night a few days before, un. Remember? When we…Um…" the male glanced at Konan from the corner of his eyes "…And Kisame interrupted us?"

"Oh you're kidding? You weren't even all the way in!"

"The hymen has gaps in it for menstrual blood to escape…" Deidara paled at the explanation the medic was putting forward "semen could easily pass through them the other way"

He sniggered "you could have had a virgin birth, un" I slapped his arm,

"That would have been open to interpretation. If the penis is in the vagina then it's technically not 'virgin'" Konan giggled,

"I got pregnant without having sex?" I confirmed; she nodded "typical! Just typical! You said you were on the mill!" I pointed at my partner, he frowned,

"Mill? Un"

"Male pill" Konan explained,

"No, un! I said I would use one for 'that' night! I didn't expect to need one before then so I never took any!" I grabbed one of the pillows and muffled a scream of frustration into it as he argued his point,

"Do you want me to get rid of it?" Konan offered, charging her hand with chakra, I lifted my head and Deidara shielded me, glaring at her angrily,

"No! Don't touch her! Un, this is **my** kid and I'm going to care of it! I'm going to take responsibility for it! And you are **not** going to take this away from me!" I craned my neck with difficultly to see him with a fierce expression that only wavered when the woman had lowered her hand, I blushed but they didn't notice,

"Of course Deidara; this is between Akina and yourself" she smiled and I was pulled gently to my feet,

"Let's go, un…Oh and Konan?" she lifted her head expectantly "don' tell anyone about this!"

"I'll have to tell Pein. But otherwise, fine!"

* * *

Still exhausted from the dreams I'd been having I returned to the room around lunch and had been trying to doze on the bed, but Deidara kept bothering me,

"Please? Un" he begged, sitting next to me, still with my eyes shut tight I argued,

"No, I'm trying to sleep!"

"But I'm the father of your child! Un, you have to let me" I groaned,

"I'm tired! And stop using that as an excuse! It's only been a couple hours and you've already said it like fifty times!"

"I like how it sounds, un"

"Uh!" I tried to push him away but he was too strong and didn't budge,

"Akina! Un, I rarely ask you for something this important! Please?" I sighed,

"Fine" opening my eyes I saw him discard his cloak and straddle my legs "is that really necessary?" he ignored me and pushed my shirt up to my breasts so he could press his cheek to my stomach, he closed his eyes and hummed; I moved one arm behind my head to cushion it and ran the other hand through his hair,

"Just over eight months, un" he whispered "eight months…That seems like so far away"

"I don't know why you want to fondle my belly so badly, there's no bump to stoke or kicks to feel-"

"I just like the closeness, un…You, me and the baby. When it's finally here we won't be this close physically again, you're attached to it and I'm attached to you" he nuzzled the warm skin of my stomach before kissing it lightly, trailing his lips around and sticking his tongue into my belly-button, I let out a quite moan "I knew you'd like that" he ran the muscle up my body to my mouth where he kissed me hotly,

"Dei-" he cut me off with another kiss, I began to pant as he trailed them sloppily down my neck "I'm tired!"

"Then maybe this'll help you sleep better" he pulled back to stare down the length of my body "you know, there's just something so sexy about you being pregnant with my kid, un" he breathed,

"You won't be saying that when I'm as big as a whale" I joked, he smirked,

"Oh yeah? Un, Konan told me a little fact about pregnancy, wanna hear it?" I nodded, cocking an eyebrow at the same time "some women get incredibly lusty when pregnant, it's to do with the hormones or something; in a couple months you'll be begging me to bed you and I won't be complaining, no matter how big you get!"

"You also know that because of those same hormones I'll probably be having wild mood swings" he blinked,

"Huh?"

"Which means that right in the middle of one of those 'sessions' I could flip because of the tiniest thing that you do and decide that I never want you to touch me again" I grinned, he mimicked me,

"Oh? But then all I'd need to do is this" he slipped a hand under my shirt and quickly pulled the wraps apart to grope my breast, I moaned loudly this time and blushed almost immediately after "Konan said pregnant women are a little more sensitive too! Un, I didn't think it would start so soon"

"I was feeling a little like this a couple days ago actually, I just didn't say anything because I thought it was nothing"

"You should have, I would have been real happy to have helped you, un" he pushed the shirt higher and licked my nipple, I gasped "these are pretty big"

"Yeah…" I panted "I know"

"And they're gonna get a-lot bigger! Ha"

"That's the only reason you're so happy isn't it?" I wriggled under him "because I'm sensitive and my breasts will swell" he tugged the wraps away impatiently "careful! I don't have many of those left, I need to get new ones!"

**Snap!**

"Oops" he shrugged and tossed the remains behind him to the floor "we'll get some new ones in the village, un, I've only got a little clay left anyway. And I'm not just happy about your breasts…I really want a baby, if it wasn't for you I'd never have a chance of becoming a father" he returned to my chest and fondled cheerfully, I grabbed the back of his head to hold him in place as he sucked, his hand was tweaking and pinching the other one, I arched my back and curled my toes into the duvet "you like that?" he asked, pulling back for a second before attaching his mouth once more,

"Yes…!" I groaned "hah…Don't stop!"

He licked it and then swapped to the right "after it's born I won't be able to do this for a while"

"Ah…" I couldn't reply and bucked my hips "oh my God!"

"You're almost ready? Un, I've barely touched you" he sniggered and sat back on his knees to remove his shirt, I gulped thickly and bit my finger "that's really cute" he licked his lips and helped me pull my own shirt off then he cupped my right breast and let the mouth on his palm continue what he'd been doing before, his own tongue traced a path between them and licked the scars and the shape "you've grown in the time you've been here"

"Sorry?"

"I know I said these were big, but they were a little smaller when you first arrived, un. And it's too soon for 'swelling' as you put it. Also, you're a couple inches taller and you've lost a little weight on your hips and thighs" he ran a hand down my leg and kissed the inner thigh through the fabric of my pants "it makes your legs look longer" he nipped my ankle before tugging the article off and tossing it down with my wraps "sexy, un…You're so sexy!"

"I don't know how I could have lost weight. I only do running once a month and a few push ups every now and then. I'm really out of shape" he ignored me and continued to nip and suck my thighs,

"I'm going to cover you in love-bites" he promised "every inch of you is going to be decorated, un" as he said it he pulled away and moved further up my leg, leaving red marks in his wake, when he reached my hip he placed one there too and another on my stomach "that was a little more difficult" he laughed as he did the same to the other side, when he was finished with my legs he re-did the faded ones on my neck and shoulders,

"Ah…Uh…Oh" I moaned and wriggled as his lips moved from spot to spot, he was setting me on fire "Dei…I said last time was the last time!"

"And I said 'until the next time' un, and this is that time" he chuckled and nipped my breasts once more, then he tried to remove my underwear but I slapped his hand away with a frown "I understand…" I sighed in relief only to yelp when he pulled his pants and boxers off in once swift tug, he sat back to survey his work "beautiful…" he smirked "all those bites, they're just proof you're all mine!" my eyes took in the features of his face, the bright, wide eyes, the sharp nose and high cheekbones, full, shiny lips and strong chin. They trailed down to his neck where I watched the muscles move as he swallowed, I licked my lips subconsciously, my eyes moving further south, over his defined chest and soft abs to what was between his legs, I couldn't look away and he caught me "like what you see? Un, last time we didn't get much time to play because we were so busy with trying to get it over with. Well…We have time now!" he ran his hands over my curves "this has to go" he purred, snapping the waistband of my remaining piece of clothing, I gasped as the cold air hit me when he all but tore it away "better"

"You're so mean" I pouted, he kissed me, pressing his body down onto mine, I whimpered in pleasure,

"I'm a Missing-Nin, Beautiful. I don't play by your rules"

"Well I'm a Missing-Nin too. And you don't see me teasing you!" he paused to think,

"You're right, un"

"What?" he touched our noses together,

"Touch me, un" he ordered, I flushed "I won't touch you again until you've teased me… Just a tiny bit, nothing much"

"Deidara…" I breathed, it was obviously difficult for him to restrain himself. He'd won me over, despite my promises to myself that I'd never sleep with the man again he knew how to manipulate my body and mind to give him what he wanted, not just that; he knew that I had nothing to lose anymore by giving in, what he didn't seem to realise was that I knew he craved me as much as I craved him,

I kissed his cheek before trailing my mouth down to the joint of his neck and shoulder, I carefully pushed him gently to his back and leaned over him, still kissing and biting his skin, he let out a moan and I felt his hands twitch from where they lay beside my legs, I licked down to his chest where I took his nipple between my teeth, he arched his back and panted, just as I was running my arms across his stomach he grabbed my them and pulled me onto his lap, sitting up at the same time so he could kiss me "your turn's through! Un" he growled dangerously, he pressed his face into my chest, licking, nipping and sucking; I knotted my fingers into his golden locks as his hands held my backside, he pulled back just long enough to give me the once over, with one hand he held up the blue crystal that lay between my breasts "this looks great nestled between them like that" he cupped a breast in each hand and pushed them together so that the pendant lay on-top of them "oh yeah…" he groaned "that's perfect…" he nuzzled them roughly,

"Dara…" I moaned highly, he chuckled,

"You're overflowing, un, I can feel it…" he pulled away and yanked out the hair-tie holding his pony-tail up, I tried to cover my face in embarrassment but he pulled my arms away and rolled us over, taking my hands he pinned them above my head, I felt the mouth chewing against my skin,

"Ah…What're you doing?"

"Trying something new, un" he replied, the hand spat out a clay centipede which he used to secure my wrists to the bed-post, then, using his headband he covered my eyes,

"Ah…No, I don't like it!"

"You will, un" he promised, licking my ear, his hand slipped down to my core and I felt him push a finger in,

"Hah…!" my back arched "w…What's that I can feel?"

"You're getting my ring all messy, un" he sighed, pumping in and out, I felt the ring press against my insides and gasped "Oh dear…What will leader say? I better clean it off, maybe rubbing it would help" he pumped harder,

"Ah…I…I'm going to…To…AH!" I bucked violently and felt my insides clench,

"That's just made it worse, un" I could hear slurping sounds "I guess I'll have to clean it myself…If that's how you react with a finger, maybe I should get a ring for 'down there'…What'd you think?" I pressed my thighs together tightly, the noises were arousing me even more, but he forced my knees apart "hmm" he kissed my stomach before dragging his tongue over my lower-lips "you taste nice Petal" I cried out when he slipped his own tongue inside me,

"Oh…Deidara, don't be mean, don't tease me!" he pulled away, I could hear him smacking his lips,

He pressed himself close to me and breathed into my ear "I want you, un" he moaned "I want to feel you surround me! To embrace me! I'm going to take you now, and I'm not going to stop until I'm satisfied thoroughly! Understand?"

"Y…Yes" I whispered excitedly, he licked my lips and I felt him fill me with one single thrust "ah…Oh God!" I clenched around him,

"You're too easy, un" he pulled out and pushed back in with more force, he was completely inside me, just pressing against the opening to my cervix "I don't think I've ever been so deep…" Deidara panted "I bet I can get deeper!" he raised my hips and slammed into me, I screamed "I should have placed a silencing jutsu…You're gonna get everyone running!" I pulled against the binds holding me and raised myself more for him, I head him moan "what a feeling…! Now we really are as close as possible, un" I could understand what he meant, at this moment the three of us were connected, Deidara to me and me to the baby, I let out a breathy moan,

"I…I don't think I'll mind being pregnant as much now" I cried, meeting him thrust for thrust,

"Hmm" he groaned "shall we see if we can make twins? Un" he laughed, kissing my neck,

"I don't think it works that way" I bucked under him "faster!" I ordered,

"We can try…Nnnng!" he chocked out a sound of pleasure, my lack of sight was making my other senses more honed, and my already sensitive body was heading into over-drive,

"Dei…Dei…I'm…Oh…I'm going to…To…" I emitted a high pitched cry at the sensations engulfing my form "is this safe?"

"You're asking that now? Of all times?" he snapped, pumping harder and faster "yes, it's safe, un" I moaned,

"G…Good!" I tugged on the clay to try and free myself,

"Ah, nice try, un. But for the next few hours you aren't going anywhere!"

* * *

"Akina?" Deidara mumbled sleepily, he was finally finished and had collapsed behind me on the bed, his arm around my waist, his hand laid protectively over my stomach,

"Hmm?" I sighed, burying myself deeper into the covers,

"Would you want to head to another base? Not now of course but in a few months or so?" he pecked my shoulder smoothly "we'd head to somewhere warm, like Kusa? Or maybe we could go into the mountains of Iwa? What'd you think?"

"That sounds fine" I yawned "especially since the others will probably be relieved that they won't have to listen to a screaming baby twenty-four-seven" he chuckled,

"For that reason then I think we should stay, un" I smiled "too bad Sasori isn't here to see this, he always said I'd make a crap father"

"Guess you can prove him wrong then, huh?" he held me tighter,

"Are you okay with this? Un, with the baby I mean?" I nodded,

"Can't do anything about it even if I wasn't" he barked a short laugh,

"Suppose you're right, un" he nuzzled my neck "boy or girl?"

"Girl" I muttered "you want a girl"

"Ha, yeah, un. You remembered" I slipped one of my own hands down to hold his and ran my thumb over the mouth "hey…I've told you before those are sensitive" he growled and nipped behind my ear "careful or I'll tie you up again" I giggled,

**BANG!**

"Pretty-Flower! Tobi has not seen you all day, Is Pretty-Flower sick? She wasn't well this morning right?"

"That bastard has to ruin everything! Un" the blond snarled angrily, I slowly released myself from his grip "where're you going? Just ignore him, he'll leave eventually"

"I'm feeling a little nauseous again" I grinned in reassurance and took the blanket with me to cover myself "I'll be back in a minute"

"Akina, un" about halfway across the room I turned back to my partner, he smiled warmly in response to me "you're glowing…Beautiful"

* * *

Rose: Aw, that's so cute! Why does Tobi have to destroy all their nice moments? Because he's Tobi, that's why!

Review please!


	34. White Lillies

Rose: Thanks for the reviews everyone!

Disclaimer: OC's and Plot.

* * *

"According to this book; by the end of third week the baby's backbone, spinal column and nervous system are forming and the liver, kidneys and intestines begin to take shape" I said, thumbing through the pages carefully "and in another two weeks the hands, eyes and legs will start forming"

"Hmm, interesting, un" Deidara kissed my belly and slipped his hands under the back of my shirt towards my wraps, I edged back on the bed to gain distance but he merely followed me,

"Dei…I've told you before. Last week was the last time!" I sighed, pushing his head away,

"So?"

"So I meant what I said; besides you have a mission!"

"So?" he repeated, grinning up at me before trying to remove my clothes once more,

"You're going to be late!"

"So?"

"Pein will be mad!"

"So?"

He pushed me back and slid his lips along my neck "just a kiss!" I wrapped my arms around him and pressed my lips to his, he moaned,

"Oi! Deidara! You left yet?" Kisame yelled from outside, the blond growled,

"No privacy, no damn privacy in this place! Un" he flattened his hair and yanked the door open forcefully "what?" he snapped,

"Geeze, what's with you? She not giving you any or something?" the blond snarled "okay, okay…It's just, those subordinates that were supposed to wait for you have gone"

"Shit!" I tried to slipped out of the room under Deidara's arm but he quickly looped it around my waist and dragged me back "I'll leave in a sec, un" the blue haired man saluted him jokingly before trotting away, the male holding me kissed me fiercely before letting go "we'll continue this later" he promised, patting my stomach as he followed after the Mist-Nin, I shook my head and yawned, my nightmares had been gradually lessoning during the past week but they were still scary and caused me to lose sleep some nights, I took a seat in the living room with a book, Itachi was beside me with a paper and Kakuzu was opposite counting change on the coffee table, it was only a few minutes before I felt a familiar wave of nausea wash over me and I clapped a hand over my mouth and sprinted to the kitchen, leaving the two males staring after me with perplexed expressions,

Hidan was in there cleaning his scythe happily when I burst through the door and threw my head down the sink "aw…That's fucking disgusting!" he heaved as he scraped more dried blood off his blades,

"Say's you!" I snapped before continuing to empty my stomach even more,

"What the hell? You pregnant or something?"

_OH MY GOD HE KNOWS! HE KNOWS! Wait, calm down, this is Hidan…He knows nothing!_

I unconsciously flinched but I didn't think he saw "I have a stomach bug!"

"Shit! Don't come near me…I hate getting sick!" he fell over his chair as he tried to scramble from the room, dragging his cleaning supplies as he went, he almost ran into the Uchiha in his eagerness to escape "don't go near her, she's fucking contagious" I burst into laughter as the image of a pregnant Hidan entered my mind,

"Akina" I snapped back to attention when the dark haired man addressed me; I saw his Sharingan activate and quickly turned my back to him to rinse my mouth out with water,

"You shouldn't be using that" I sang, washing the taste of vomit away for at least a few hours,

"There's a strange concentration of chakra in your belly" he said, I froze "is there something you'd like to tell me?"

"Not really" I grinned sheepishly, the look vanished though when I succumbed to a loud yawn, he stepped further in and sat at the table, I filled the kettle in preparation and waited, feeling sweat form on my brow as his eyes drilled into me from behind,

"If you're tired why do you give in to Deidara?" I flushed,

"Ah…Um, you heard that?"

"No, Tobi heard you scream a few nights back and told us" I slapped my forehead,

"That's not why I'm tired" I sighed "I've been having some bad dreams for the past couple of weeks and they've caused me to lose a-lot of sleep"

"What kind of dreams?" the kettle boiled and I poured a coffee for the male and a hot chocolate for myself, then I took a seat beside him, sliding the mug over carefully and avoiding eye contact,

"I can't really explain them, they're always different…But in every one there're these big red eyes that watch me, and I'm always running from something that I can never see…But they've been slowly stopping now!" I added quickly when I noticed him frowning "pretty soon they should be gone permanently!"

"You had nightmares during your first few weeks with us" he said "why have you suddenly started having them again? Could something have triggered them?" I shrugged "what about that chakra in your belly?"

"Ah…Um…Er" I rubbed the back of my head,

"It can't be yours. It was blocked off"

"Maybe it's Deidara's" I tried,

"And how would his chakra find its way to that particular spot?" I struggled to find the words to argue back "Akina; you know the truth. I have an idea of the truth; so why don't we finish this game and you confirm my suspicions"

"What are your suspicions?" I delayed,

"I think-"

"HELP!" a cry was heard from the hallway; Itachi held an arm out to stop me when I tried to investigate and went on his own instead, I followed him to the door and peered around towards the entrance of the hide-out, my eyes widened as I took in the sight before me, Deidara was lying face-down on the floor, bleeding and bruised as the Uchiha tried to support him and lead him to his room "shit, un" he cursed as he was forced to walk, in an instant I was on his otherside, slinging his arm around my shoulder and moving with the two men down the corridor, he fell clumsily to the bed and hissed loudly,

"What happened? You've only been gone forty-five minutes!" I asked, pulling an emergency first-aid kit from the bathroom cabinet, the blond coughed up some blood,

"We were ambushed, un. The subordinates were killed but I managed to get away. There were too many for me to take on my own so I just ran-" he paused to hack violently "it was like they knew we were coming! There were traps and everything!" Deidara was surprisingly quiet as I removed his cloak and shirt so I could clean the wounds on his face, arms and chest, Itachi was silent, thinking to himself,

"I'll go find Konan" he said finally, walking out, once the door was shut Deidara let out a sigh of relief,

"I thought for sure he was gonna reprimand me or something, un" I smiled "ow" he winced as the antibacterial wipes were spread across the marks on his chest,

"For all the cuts and bruises you have they're actually pretty mild, not very deep at all…There's just lots of them!" I packed away the kit carefully and slid it under the bed, the blond rubbed his arm "who attacked you? Sound?"

He frowned deeply "Leaf, un. When we were a few miles from the border" he muttered quietly "they were looking for you. I managed to lead them away with a clone whilst I escaped" I froze,

"I thought that they thought I was dead" I whispered,

"So did I, un. Something must have happened that changed their minds" my eyes widened,

_Naruto saw me! He saw me in that tree!_

The man placed his hand on my stomach "so what-" I was cut off when Itachi strode back in calmly, Deidara quickly drew his hand back but the Uchiha caught the movement,

"Don't worry Deidara" he said "also, it seems Konan is out somewhere and won't be back until tomorrow"

"It's fine, un" the Iwa-Nin grunted "I'll be back to normal in a couple…Wait…Do you know? Does he know?" he turned to me with wide eyes, I shrugged,

"He figured it out"

"You told!? Un"

"I said nothing!" I defended,

"She ran away so frantically earlier I went to see what was wrong and found her in the kitchen vomiting" Itachi explained "I was able to determine quickly what was wrong with her using my Sharingan"

"You can see it? Un" Deidara asked, scowling, Itachi nodded "I've never been so damn jealous of anything in my entire life…What does it look like?"

"It's merely a small sphere of blue chakra in Akina's stomach, no bigger than a coin"

"It has chakra? Un" the blond prodded my belly lightly, as if expecting it to glow suddenly, I pushed him away with a grin and he mimicked me,

"For the first few weeks the foetus will sap Akina's chakra to help sustain itself, the chakra was blocked off to her, not the child" the dark haired male explained,

"Don't tell anyone, un"

"Of course. Since you're fine I'll take Kisame and go check out the area you were attacked, Zetsu will probably all ready be there to clean up"

It was silent for a few seconds as I stared at the door "don't worry, un" Deidara drew my attention "Naruto wasn't one of the Nin" I couldn't help but release the breath I'd been holding, the man didn't look too pleased by how relieved I was but didn't voice it "I have a present for you" he smiled instead,

"Deidara please, no more presents" he tapped the crystal around my neck,

"You don't like my presents? Un"

"I like some of them" I cocked my head to one side, he laughed,

"You'll like this one, un, it's in my cloak pocket" I fished through the inside of the garment before a familiar scent overwhelmed me and I pulled out three pure white lilies with blue rims "I found those just before the Nin attacked"

"I didn't think they grew this far north" I whispered,

"Neither did I, un" I stood up to place them on the dresser,

"You should get some sleep" I said suddenly, turning around "I'll come check on you later!"

"Akina-" I slammed the door shut behind me so I never heard what he had to say, leaning against the wood I swiped at my eyes quickly before disappearing down the hall.

* * *

"Hey Kakuzu. Would you mind if I made something separate for Deidara? I wouldn't take up much room" he replaced the lid of the pan he'd been using and shrugged,

"Fine by me" he grunted, handing me a knife "call me when you're finished" he slouched out of the room, probably off to his own to count money,

"Wait!" I shouted but he ignored me "what just happened?" I turned to the two men at the table playing cards,

"You gave an inch and he took a mile" Hidan explained, Kisame sniggered,

"So what are you making?"

"Well…Let's see what Kakuzu left" raising the lid of the pan I peered in "hmm…Looks like noodles-" I screamed when fifty small, thin tentacles reached out "AH! KILL IT! KILL IT!" I flung the entire pan at Hidan who screamed and sliced at it, Kisame then flattened it with his sword; the tentacles fell limp "what was that?"

"Kakuzu's annual surprise" the blue skinned male frowned "we used to have to eat that"

"I don't want to know what else is in it! I'm going to make soup"

"Cool, that's a good thing to have when it's cold"

"Is it even colder? I haven't been outside lately"

"When it was like this last year we got snow, so I wouldn't be surprised if we got it again"

"Snow? Really?" I filled a bowl with the chicken soup and placed it on a tray with some tea and then filled another for the men at the table "if you want seconds just take it, there's loads left" I informed as I left the room with the tray and headed towards Deidara's, he was just waking up when I entered and smiled widely,

"Is that for me? Un" I nodded and placed it across his lap "have you eaten yet?"

"I'm not hungry right now"

He frowned "Petal…Not eating isn't good for you, un"

"I'll get some later" I assured; he pushed his food away and crossed his arms "Deidara!"

"I'm not eating unless you have some too, un" I sighed,

"Not eating isn't good for you either!" I huffed "fine!" I returned a few minutes later with a bowl the same as his "happy now?"

"Very" he grinned, picking up his bowl and drinking it down in one gulp, I chewed the meat in mine slowly and carefully "hey, un…Did you like those flowers?" the blond asked softly,

"Yeah, why?"

"It's just…The way you ran out before, made me think you weren't happy" I smiled warmly,

"It was just a little overwhelming, I haven't seen those flowers in such a long time…They made me think of Konoha"

"Next time I'll ask when you want a present, un" he chuckled, rubbing the back of his head,

"I want one of your spiders" I replied quickly, he chocked on his tea,

"You want to go outside and-"

"No, I want one of **your** spiders…To keep" he snorted,

"If you want a pet, un, I can get you one"

"I don't want a pet…Those spiders and birds are like a part of you, I want one for when you aren't around" I placed my now empty bowl next to his, he replaced the cup and I got ready to take it back to be washed,

"Sure, sure, un. I'll make you one now"

"Well you don't have-"

"If it'll make you happy then I'll make you one, un" he reached over for his clay pouches and began to sculpt delectably "don't worry" he laughed "I won't get clay on the sheets!"

* * *

Rose: That's it for this chapter; next chapter has a very cool surprise for you. It's something I wouldn't normally do in a first person story!

Review please!


	35. Inner Thoughts

Rose: Ready for the surprise?

Disclaimer: OC's and plot!

* * *

I couldn't tell her. I couldn't let her cry. How am I supposed to explain to her that I killed twenty Leaf-Nin before running? And I didn't just **kill** them…I **destroyed** them! And I enjoyed every second of it!

I wouldn't have done it in any other circumstance, usually I would have cut my losses and ran for it…But he knew her! The only reason I killed them was because that bastard said something I didn't like…How can I tell her that?

Uncurling myself from around my bed-mate I sat on the edge of the bed and sighed, my eyes caught sight of the lilies on the dresser and I scowled deeply, if I hadn't of seen those flowers then it probably wouldn't have happened; I was only a couple minutes away from the subordinates, so I had time to grab a few for her. I hadn't known they grew in such wet-land so I thought she'd be thrilled with them, I was hoping she's be so thrilled in-fact, that she'd shower me with kisses before lying back and allowing me to make art with her a few times…I let my guard down for a second when suddenly I was surrounded by almost forty Leaf-Nin, one of them recognised me and then I knew I was in trouble, it was that hot-tempered old man who'd thrown me into my cell back in Konoha. I didn't like him then so I sure as hell didn't like him now!

"_You, Iwa no Deidara, you're under arrest for the kidnapping of Michiko Akina, a high ranking Anbu Captain of the Village Hidden in the Leaf. Now tell us where she is!" _

"_She's dead, un" I replied cockily "I thought you knew that already, we couldn't get any secrets out of her so we got rid of her" I tucked the flowers into my cloak as discretely as possible, but he was too focused on my face to even notice them,_

"_We have a confirmed sighting from the Land of Rivers that she is in-face alive. So reveal her location to us now. We've already disposed of that group in the clearing so you are on your own"_

_My fingers twitched towards my pouches, so the subordinates were dead? Typical, they're so useless "fine. You win, she's alive, un. But you can't have her!" I saw him falter and I could almost see the blood vessels bursting behind his mask, the thought made me laugh "she's mine. All mine. Now and forever, even if you did find her you'd have to kill her since I own her body" I heard a few of them whispering in disbelief,_

"_Rape is not a valid reason for the death of a villager" the Captain scoffed, I growled,_

"_I didn't rape her! Un" now I remembered this guy, he was called Kenna and if I re-called correctly my flower didn't like him very much, my palm chewed lazily, waiting for the right moment to spit out my creation to finish this,_

_Kenna laughed and a few of the others joined him "you Akatsuki! You're sick!" I frowned in annoyance "you kidnap our captain, rape her and now you're holding her captive somewhere until you've had your fill. Sick bastard!"_

"_I didn't rape her! Un" I tried again "that's more of a Hidan thing"_

"_You think you can just take what you want!" one of the others shouted, Kenna took over,_

_  
"He's right! We're going to kill you Akatsuki and then we're going to find Akina and rescue her!" I clenched my fists,_

"_You aren't taking her anywhere!" I shouted "even if you found her! She's pregnant! PREGNANT! With __**my**__ child. And no-one is going to take her or that away from me!" I span and threw the bird in my hand towards the Anbu behind me, they didn't re-act quick enough and died screaming, I dodged kicks from the others and tackled the Captain, pinning him to a tree I tore off his mask and held a Kunai to his throat "she's mine, un" I hissed,_

"_Sicko" he grunted, kicking out wildly "how many times did you force yourself on her to do that do her?" I slammed him into the trunk again,_

_  
"I ADORE HER! Un" I screamed, he blinked "I never raped her! Not once have I forced myself on her like that! I adore that woman and I adore that child. And if you think I'm going to let you near her then you are sadly mistaken!" a small insect like creation crawled from my shoulder onto his "fuck off!" I said shortly, leaping back out of range of the resulting explosion, his mask landed at my feet in shatters, I was smirking madly when a sharp pain exploded in the middle of my back, the Anbu that had thrown the Shuriken kicked me in the stomach but didn't expect me to vanish in a puff of smoke. I appeared about twenty feet away before sprinting in the direction of safety,_

Rubbing my face I looked back at Akina, she was facing the wall, curled onto a ball with the sheets wrapped around her tightly, the little clay spider I'd made was dozing on her hip happily, her lips were moving and I leaned closer to hear what she was saying "…Ara…" a wide grin broke out over my face, she was dreaming of me! I placed one large hand over her stomach and rubbed gently "there's…Sand…My…Bags…" the grin dropped into a nasty scowl, it wasn't me she was dreaming of…It was **him**! That stupid Sand-Rat!

Of course she'd dreamt of her friends before, Naruto, Hinata…Heck, she once dreamt of Tobi which even I found amusing. But him! Gaara, the KazeKage. It just had to be him, the only one of her friends I couldn't tolerate, the only male barring me that she'd come close to having sex with! Still with my scowl in place I slipped a hand under the sheets and found the warmth of her skin, she was wearing one of my shirts to bed, a long-sleeved one that reached to her mid-thighs, slowly I let my hand wander north until I found her breast and gently cupping it I let the mouth begin to suck tenderly, she took a sharp intake of breath but otherwise remained asleep. I'd never done this before, at least not to her…I used to think it was funny to arouse girls in their sleep so that when they woke up they'd want sex, but I could never do it to her. It just never felt right…But this was an emergency, if I didn't steer her dreams towards me then she'd begin thinking of her village again. I was lucky enough to dodge the Kunai with the flowers; I wouldn't get a chance like that again!

I nosed her hair away from her ear and let my hot breath caress it "Deidara" I whispered, her nose wrinkled which I didn't like, but then the corners of her mouth turned up in a small smile "Deidara" I whispered again, rubbing her mound, she sighed,

"…Dara…" I smirked, crisis averted, reluctantly I pulled my hand away and sat back, looking down I saw the spider watching me,

"What? Un" it merely chirped and scurried further up her body so it was on her pillow, it was guarding her "traitor" I muttered, strolling towards the bathroom, I paused when I hear her shift and turned to see she had rolled over, her left arm was cushioning her head while the other draped across her hips almost seductively, her lips were parted and I saw her eyes flicker as she continued to dream, my pants tightened a tad but it was still ignorable. The moonlight flooding in through the window was giving her an almost angelic glow and I frantically searched for my scope to take a picture so I could sketch it later. I found it under the bed and backed up a few paces to try and make the shot perfect…It was only when I was ready that I turned at stared out the window…Something inside me snapped and grabbing a towel I covered the glass until no light could make it into the room, there was only darkness now, sweet, silent darkness.

Part of me wanted to take Akina out into the sun, let her flourish and smile, be with the others who cared about her almost as much as I did…

But then another part of me reared up, an ugly part, and I suddenly wanted to lock her away in the darkness not unlike what we were in now…I wanted to make sure the sun, moon and stars never saw her, lest they fall in love with her,

But I knew that wouldn't make her smile and all I wanted was for her to smile, even if it wasn't at me. When that beautiful look crossed her face I felt my heart flutter at the sight of it and I would do anything to see it again, no matter what it took!

I blinked when I saw her frown in her sleep and start to shiver, padding back to the bed I slipped under the duvet with her and wrapped myself around her shaking form, she sighed and cuddled closer, I stroked her hair fondly, loving the feel of it as it passed through my fingers, like silk, I buried my nose into it, breathing in the scent that was…Her! Just her! It was like freshly cut grass with a hint of mint. She shuddered again and I pulled her tighter, her own arms slid around my waist before she let out what sounded like a hiccup and she flipped over, pressing her back into my front. I felt her backside slip into the curve of my crotch and moaned quietly when she fidgeted,

"Down boy, un" I grunted, clenching my eyes and teeth "think un-sexy thoughts! Think un-sexy thoughts!" I tried but all that I managed to fabricate was images of her and the fact that her soft body was flush with mine, and every time she took a breath she'd rub against me slowly…I let out another pained cry as she tried to get even closer, obviously tonight was especially cold, it didn't bother me, I was from Iwa for goodness sake, but she was from Konoha, the Land of **Fire**, it was no wonder she was drawn to me, she'd told me many times I gave off a lot of heat,

I finally forced down any erotic thoughts and embraced her properly, she relaxed at long last and I closed my eyes to try and fall back asleep,

I knew a-lot about her; probably more than her friends back in Leaf;

Favourite food? Unagi.

Least Favourite? Zarusoba.

Favourite teae? Genmai-Cha.

Least Favourite? Sencha-Fukujyu.

Flower? Blue-Tipped Lilies.

Least? Roses.

Favourite animal? Dog.

Favourite colour? Sky blue.

Her Birthday? First of January.

Family? One sister, Chika.

And that's just scratching the surface, I knew more than that, does Naruto know that she likes to watch the sun set? Does Hinata know that she's ticklish behind the ears? Does **Gaara** know where her sweet spot is? NO!

I wondered what would have happened if I'd never left Iwa, would I have met her? I'd heard Konoha was trying to make peace with Iwa, what if she'd been sent up with her Hokage? I would have probably made Anbu if I'd stayed and maybe we would have met…I'd have taken her on a tour of the village, showed her everything from a perspective only I could give; my birds would have been magnificent!

If I could go back in time…Would I change it? Would I let go of what I had now, for a chance of it in another reality? A chance to make love to her instead of just having sex? To have someone who really cared instead of just survival attachment?

The dilemma gnawed at the back of my head for a few minutes, by which time my hand had moved to her stomach, would she get pregnant in the other reality? Either way one of us would have had to leave our village. Maybe this way was better; we were on neutral ground technically. Both of us were missing Nin, neither of us was on home turf…

No, I wouldn't change a thing, even for the slightest chance of a normal life with her. I had her now, she was in **my** arms. Sleeping in **my** bed. Carrying **my** child. She wasn't with Gaara or Naruto…Only me! She was my Beautiful Bloom, no-one else's,

I kissed her neck and continued to watch her sleep. As long as I could make her smile, as long as she never lost it…Then I wouldn't change a thing.

* * *

I regretted leaving her to see Leader so early in the morning, she was all wrapped up tightly in the covers, so tightly in-fact that it showed her curves quite nicely…I was almost drooling when I'd finished dressing and was even considering staying with her but I knew Leader would have my ass on a silver platter if I did that,

He was saying something now, congratulating me on my 'mission' with Akina, saying it was long over-due, something about the baby…Wait? What?

"I'm sorry? Un" I blinked at him, he blinked back at me,

"I was saying that this child comes as a surprise…" shit, he's going to tell me to get rid of it now, or worse, Akina "it could prove useful"

"Useful? Un" I was getting worried now,

"With the combination of your Kekkei Genkai and Akina's remarkable Chakra control and unique abilities...This child could become our perfect tool"

"Are you saying, un…That you want to use my baby…As a weapon?" he nodded "but, I thought we were trying to prevent and stop war!"

"And a perfect child such as this could help us with that"

"Sir, I…Uh…I'm not too comfortable with this, un…And I don't think Akina will be either, and, I mean…She's the one carrying it so if she's not happy that could have serious repercussions on your 'perfect child'" it was silent for a moment as he remained in deep thought, I gulped loudly and could feel sweat forming on my brow, this could go one of two ways, I would have to tell Akina that we'd never see our baby after it was born and we'd probably be forced to produce more 'weapons' and that wasn't the kind of art I wanted to make with her **or **Leader would decide that it would be too much hassle and she'd be forced to abort it and that wasn't what we wanted,

"I have to think about this" he shooed me away,

"Uh…Sir? Un"

"What? What?" he turned angrily to me, I'd obviously dampened his plans,

"I wanted to ask if Akina and I could travel to another base-"

"Impossible"

"Why? Un"

"Because I said so!" I gaped; did he really just say that? My father used to say that! What the fuck?

I scowled and slammed the door loudly as I left, he was being totally unreasonable, I was beginning to think the only reason he let Akina live was because he was hoping something like this would happen, I bet if he could have his way he'd make everyone here have 'perfect children' with different women so he could have his 'perfect weapons'! I had to admit, I myself had secretly wanted her to become pregnant. But the thought had only come around in the past few months, my original plans for her had been to gain some information on Konoha, though that plan had gone completely out the window when she'd bitten her tongue off…That was a scary couple of hours…And to sleep with her a few times before killing her, to be honest I never thought she'd grow on me like she has done!

I wasn't in the best of moods when I reached our room, I just wanted to crawl back into bed with my Petal, wait until she woke up and then spend the entire day trying to make art with her; but something or someone had different ideas because when I finally got to our room I found her and Tobi by the window, laughing and joking and…WAS HE TOUCHING HER? He was! His hand was on the small of her back, just a little too low in my mind, his fingers were barely a inch from her behind, I growled dangerously and Akina turned, her sky blue eyes shining happily, I faltered "Deidara!" she rushed over to me, I noticed she was wearing a pair of my boxers along with my shirt and I was suddenly thankful for the baggy cloak I wore "it's snowing! It's snowing!" I frowned "can I go outside? Oh can I? Please?" it was absolutely adorable the way she twisted her fingers into my cloak and blinked up at me with wide, innocent eyes, her begging me was highly arousing, even so, my frown turned into a scowl,

_Snow? She's excited because of a little snow? Why would she want to go outside and play in it? Where I come from snow is deadly! I want her to stay in here with me!_

I glanced at Tobi who was a few feet behind her, rocking on his heels and humming absent-mindedly, then back to her, I saw her face fall and she stepped back a little, she thought I was going to say 'no' "would it make you happy? Un" I rubbed the back of my head sheepishly, messing up my already messy hair, I hadn't bothered with it "it's pretty cold out there and you aren't in the best condition…If you know what I mean?" I motioned to Tobi and she understood, she quickly maneuvered my hand onto her belly in a way so that he wouldn't see,

"I'll be fine" she said "I'll wrap up warm and I won't stay out too long…It's just we never got snow in Konoha, the winters were only slightly colder than the summers back there"

_She just had to bring her village into it, didn't she?_

"Okay, un. You can go out in the snow for and hour or so" her face lit up in a real, heartfelt smile and I felt my chest grow warm,

"I'll meet you outside Tobi" she said, gathering some clothes to change into, the masked man saluted her and quickly left the room, I flopped down onto the bed and sulked,

_This day can't get any worse!_

* * *

Rose: That is the only time the story will be in Deidara's POV. So I hope you liked it because it shall never happen again!

Review please!


	36. Complications

Rose: Hey everybody. Believe it or not I've had this laptop since Christmas and this is the first chapter I've written on it. It takes some getting used to I'll tell ya that!

Disclaimer: OC's and plot.

You've been getting alot of updates because I'm on half-term. But come Monday they'll probably slow down a little as I focus more on school. You will still get one update a week and with a bit of luck maybe two or three. Depending on my homework.

* * *

Deidara didn't look particularly happy when I exited the bathroom wearing a long coat, thick pants and some boots. The blond had discarded his cloak and shoes, the winter ones that covered his toes, and was sitting on the edge of the bed sulking. I moved closer and placed myself in his lap; he automatically slipped his arms around my waist and pulled me tight against him "stay in here with me, un" he mumbled "why'd you want to go outside?"

"Snows fun" I grinned at him, he pecked my lips softly "why don't you come out with us?"

"Ha" he snorted, I frowned,

"Is something wrong? You seem upset" he rubbed my stomach subconsciously and shook his head,

"No, un. You go play. Nothing's wrong" he pushed me away slowly and rolled over so he was facing the wall, I kissed his cheek,

"I won't be out for too long" I promised.

* * *

The spider on my shoulder chirped impatiently as Tobi and I placed the finishing touches on our snow-man, we were out on the cliff-side where Deidara had almost had sex with me that night. I looked over towards the entrance to the hideout where said blond was waiting with his arms crossed,

"I'll see you later Tobi!" I waved and turned, only to have the man grab me from behind and lift me up by my waist, my laugh turned into a kind of joyful scream when Tobi tripped over and fell flat on his back with me on his stomach,

"Damnit Tobi! Un" we looked up at the sound of Deidara's shout, he looked particularly sour, his arms were uncross and at his sides, fists clenched, his jaw was set and his lips were pulled back into a snarl,

"Aw Geeze" I sighed and pulled myself up, the masked-man followed suit "bye Tobi…Really this time!"

"Bye-bye Pretty Flower!" I started towards the blond but he started motioning me to go faster so I broke out into a run; he opened his arms and embraced me tightly,

"Did that idiot hurt you? Un" he asked as we moved back inside,

"Don't be so protective. I'm fine!"

"You're freezing, un" he growled, taking my hands "I can feel the cold through your gloves!" I stared up at him,

"Really? I don't feel it!" he shrugged off his cloak and draped it over my shoulders so I had an extra layer, he still didn't look too happy as we made our way back to his room so I smiled up at him "would you…" I felt my cheeks heat up but I wasn't sure if it was because if the cold or something else "…Cuddle with me to warm me up?" he blinked at me before grinning,

"And what would we be doing before the cuddling? Un" he purred, wrapping his arm around my waist

"Um…"

"Today was the happiest I've ever seen you" he decided not to pursue his previous question "when you were outside, it was like you had no worries, it was like nothing was bothering you" I nodded, at a loss of what else to do "I wasn't going to go get you, you know" he scratched his cheek "I was going to see how long you really took, but Kisame came in and disturbed me, saying you looked totally different to usual. Like a cloud had been lifted. So I had to go and look, un" I nodded again,

We'd just reached his room when a voice called out, looking over we saw Itachi approach us "Deidara, it's your turn to do the grocery shopping" the blond sighed,

"Can't I do it later? Un"

"Not unless you want an angry Hidan chasing after you"

"Fine, fine!" he snarled, the Uchiha strolled off smirking in amusement, when he was out of sight I felt myself being hastily pushed past the threshold, when the door was shut Deidara pinned me against it and began to tug off my coat, the spider let out an angry squeal and leapt onto the floor and scurried under the bed,

"Don't you have to-"

"I can do it in a bit, un" he panted, holding me around the waist so I couldn't escape "I'm just going to warm you up a little" I caught the grin and scowled,

"We aren't doing it"

"I never said we were, un. You shouldn't suspect the worst of me all the time Petal"

"Uh huh" he pecked the corner of my lips, then my jaw and neck,

"You wouldn't mind if we did everything but that though, would you? Un"

I laughed and shoved him away playfully "Dei-Dei, what happened the last time you didn't do what Itachi asked?" he flinched at the long-forgotten memory "that's what I thought" I strolled past him "I'll take a bath to warm up"

"Why don't you come with me? Un"

"I thought you didn't want me going outside when it was cold?" I smirked, he faltered,

"I hate it when you turn my words around like this, un" I giggled again but froze as he strolled closer "you know everyone says I give you far too much freedom?" I backed away but he followed and eventually boxed me into the wall "despite the fact you're my prisoner, you waltz around like this is you house back in Konoha. Completely carefree and helpless, especially now…" he pressed the back of his hand to my stomach "we can't have anything happen to you can we?" I gulped and bit back the sharp comment I wanted to say,

"I'm perfectly capable of looking after myself" I frowned "pregnant or not" he purred,

"You have far to much power over me, un" he kissed me on the lips softly this time before backing away, I was slightly pale now,

"You aren't going to-"

"What? Un, lock you up? I couldn't do that" he shrugged "for one you'd be upset and I'd have Tobi on my ass everyday" I snorted with laughter as he left the room.

* * *

After my bath I changed into a pair of Deidara's boxers and the same white shirt I'd had on before. Opening the door to the bathroom I glanced around, in the back of my mind I felt like someone was watching me, then I caught sight of the spider and breathed a sigh of relief,

But I'd only taken one step into the room when everything took a turn for the worst, the room began to spin like a kaleidoscope yet I remained perfectly still, watching as the furniture seemed to move from the floor to the ceiling to the walls, I stumbled heavily as I tired to manoeuvre my way to where I knew the bed was supposed to be, I'd barely moved an inch when there was a flash of red in my eyes that slowly faded to black as my skull connected with the stone at my feet.

* * *

Something was not right! When I next opened my eyes I was in the bed, but something was off, the room looked the same in every way. The spider was even asleep on my pillow. I tried to sit up but found myself unable to. My breathing quickened as I began to panic, trying to will my arms and legs to do something but they remained motionless, my eyes darted around looking for anyone to help but no matter what I did they suddenly decided that they were no longer going to listen as-well, I couldn't even blink! I felt so helpless and scared. From my left I heard footsteps, they stopped beside the bed but I knew that even in my position I would have been able to see them out of the corner of my eyes; it was like they were invisible!

Then a pressure started to build in my chest, it moved around my form, behind my eyes, making me feel like they were going to pop out, down my arms so that they ached so much, until finally settling on my stomach, the air was sucked from my lungs and I could take none in. I felt as though I'd been punched. In an instant my body was free from the invisible bonds and I clawed at my throat, drawing in oxygen shakily and slowly, the pressure on my stomach grew. For a second I thought that there was something on me but when I reached to remove it there was nothing,

My fear escalated.

I fell out of the bed and screamed as what felt like a non-existent knife was plunged into me, I rolled over and arched my back, there was nothing! There was always nothing!

The spider didn't wake up! Why didn't it? Why didn't it find help?

An iron scent hit my nose and I gagged, I'd never smelt something so strong and so sickening at the same time, the footsteps were by my head now and looking up I…Saw nothing, this time I cried out in frustration, where was the owner of the footsteps?

Something trickled down my thigh as I forced myself to my feet, the smell found me again and I almost vomited, the footsteps moved behind me, I span and found myself staring at the same red eyes that haunted my dreams. They were floating in-front of me, in invisible eye-sockets on an invisible head, I flung my arms out wildly and collapsed to the floor as the sheets I'd taken with me tangled around my legs, I heard someone shouting my name but it was drowned out as continuing screams ripped from my throat and my eyes wouldn't break away from the red ones…

"AKINA! AKINA!" my body was being rocked back and forth and slowly the room began to dissolve away, the eyes followed at the last possible second and in their place a pair of onyx ones replaced them "AKINA!" I struggled wildly and the person calling me held my arms but I kicked out, yelping as pain shot through me but still I didn't stop fighting, my backside connected with hard stone and my legs were bound "AKINA!"

At last my eyes snapped open and Itachi was restraining me, I'd fallen from the bed and the covers had been was tied my legs as the Uchiha had been trying to calm me down "Sharingan!"

"What?" he panted, slowly releasing me,

"Sharingan! Those eyes were Sharingan!" I repeated, Itachi studied my whitened face for a few seconds before they darted to the bed; I followed his gaze to a patch of red,

"We need to get you to Konan!" he threw his cloak around my shivering body and picked me up, outside a few other members were crowded around the doorway,

"Itachi!" Kisame shouted after us "what happened?"

"HEY!" Hidan joined in "he asked you a fucking question!"

"Itachi!" Zetsu tried "why do I smell blood?"

"Find Deidara!" the Uchiha ordered, refusing to answer any other questions they threw at him, they stopped when we turned the corner towards the infirmary, we didn't reach it before I blacked out from exhaustion.

* * *

"WHERE…SHE?"

"She…Kay…Ara…

"…Happened?"

"She…Asleep…Blood on the she…"

"Will…She…Alright? Un"

"She'll…Fine…De…"

I slowly drifted back into consciousness as Konan's voice washed over me, my vision was blurry but slowly three people became clear to me "she's waking up" I heard Itachi say, the other two forms moved closer, I felt Deidara run his hand through my hair, I blinked up at him,

"Where am I?" I asked hoarsely,

"The infirmary" Konan answered, I began sit up but three sets of hands tried to push me back down, I let out a moan of frustration and batted them away, they backed off and the only female of the threesome coughed nervously "Itachi, I have something that needs to be discussed with Deidara and Akina privately" the Uchiha nodded and left the room without argument,

"What's wrong? Un" the blond gripped my hand tightly; I winced as I twisted in the bed to make myself more comfortable,

"I wasn't completely truthful before" she started "although Akina has escaped this…Incident…Mostly unharmed I'm afraid that…Well…Akina has suffered a miscarriage. Probably caused by the trauma of the nightmare Itachi told me about" I fell back into the pillows and watched Deidara's face pale,

"You can't do anything? Un"

"It's already gone" she replied sadly, he collapsed on the chair by the bed and held his head in his hands, I saw his shoulders shake and knew he was trying to fight back tears, I didn't know how to feel exactly, on the one hand I hadn't wanted the baby in the first place but on the other hand I knew that I'd unknowingly become attached to the unborn thing that had been growing inside me,

"Konan" I whispered, she looked over towards me "where was I when Itachi found me?"

"He heard you scream and found you in bed, thrashing about. And when he tried to wake you, you fell from it"

"But I didn't fall asleep in the bed…"

"What?" Deidara's shoulders jerked and I knew he was listening too,

"I fainted…Outside the bathroom door"

"I don't understand…That means someone moved you! That explains the injury on your head…" we waited for her to continue "I'll…I'll check into it, the good news is that I've stemmed the excess bleeding from your uterus and healed the bump on your head. So Akina, you should be out of here my tomorrow at the earliest" I nodded stiffly, Deidara raised his head to stare at her,

"So she's defiantly going to be okay? Un" the bluenette nodded and he released a sigh,

"I'll leave you two alone for a bit then" Konan said quietly as she left, the blond moved to sit on the bed and buried his face into my shoulder and wrapped his arms around my waist, I returned the gesture,

"I'm sorry, un, I'm sorry! This is all my fault!"

I knew in my head that is was nobodies fault, but my mouth wouldn't listen to my brain and I remained silent as he poured apologies out onto my skin for hours.

* * *

Deidara hadn't wanted to leave me but I'd convinced him to get some sleep some time after midnight, I myself fell asleep soon after he left and awoke around what was the usual breakfast time, outside the door I heard voices and footsteps as the others passed to get some food,

I was waiting for the blond to return like he'd promised he would, absently thinking that it** was** rather ironic that I held so much control over him when what we'd said was true; I was the prisoner so therefore I was powerless yet that wasn't the case!

The door cracked open "Dei!" I grinned, sitting up quickly, but it wasn't him, instead Tobi stepped through the door "oh…Hi Tobi" I tried to act cheerful so as not to upset him but secretly I was a little bit,

"Tobi heard Pretty Flower was ill" he moved over to the bedside and pulled his hand out from behind his back to hand me a bundle of colourful blue and white blooms, obviously native to Rain because I couldn't identify them,

"Wow, thanks Tobi" I grinned and lay then across my lap, I was about to ask him if he's seen Deidara when said man entered frantically,

"I'm late, I'm sorry, un" he panted and caught sight of Tobi, then his cornflower blue eyes moved to the flowers, I followed his gaze,

"Aren't they pretty? Tobi got them for me"

"Uh…Yeah, un" he coughed nervously,

"Tobi should go" the man said, rubbing the back of his head, as he passed the blond he waved "bye Deidara!" he muttered some kind of reply before occupying the space on the bed Tobi had vacated, I heard a rustling sound as something hit the floor,

"What was that?" I asked, trying to lean over the side to see but he stopped me,

"Nothing, un, you're imaging things…" I blinked up at him "there's something I need to tell you…Actually there's a few things"

"You're breaking up with me aren't you?" I joked, trying to lighten the dark mood that was contained in the small room,

"No, un, never…It's just…The others know"

"Know?"

"About…Yesterday, un"

"Oh" I whispered, realisation hitting me "how did they find out?"

"I accidentally blurted it out when they surrounded me on my way to bed…By the way I slept in the living room, un"

"Oh" I repeated,

"Also…Although this is possibly the worst thing to ever happen to us…I think it was for the best, un" he saw me staring in confusion "not saying that I didn't want the baby! I did…But Leader, he was…He wanted to…" he paused to take a deep breath "he was going to turn it into a weapon and there would have been no way to stop him" I smiled,

"Then maybe it was for the best…The baby obviously wasn't right for us" I consoled,

"I don't think I'd be a good father anyway…Not here in Ame at least…And we can always try again…Right? Un, later down the line?" he avoided all eye contact with me,

"Of course" I grinned, though in my I head I was screaming every profanity known to man "this is just a bump in the road! We get through this!" he nodded, blond locks swaying,

"I…Um…Have your spider, un" he dug into his cloak pocket and pulled out the little clay beast, it chirped happily and crawled onto my shoulder to nuzzle my cheek "it came to find me yesterday. I was on my way back when Kisame and Zetsu ran into me and told me about you. But the spider had already explained everything but they said where to find you…You wouldn't believe how scared I was, un" I pecked the top of his head softly,

"I think I'm ready to leave now" I whispered to him "if you'll just help me up" he supported me as I stood shakily,

"Petal…" he sighed, eyes locked onto my legs where dried rivulets of blood tattooed my skin,

"It'll wash off" I clenched my eyes shut as the memory of the smell came back to me, my bare foot landed on something crunchy, looking down I saw flowers, purple tulips and white lilies "oh Dei!" I smiled, herding them into my arms, they were a little damaged but I didn't mind,

"They aren't as nice as Tobi's, un" he mumbled,

"There're better than Tobi's" I said "because they came from you!"

* * *

Rose: That was so sad yet so touching at the same time!

Review please.


	37. Unexpected Changes

Rose: This is the second chapter I've written on this laptop.

Disclaimer: OC's and plot.

**I have a challenge for you all! My 300th reviewer will have a story dedicated to them. The pairing will involve Akina with a male of your choice in a lemony situation, it can be anyone, Gaara, Madara, Naruto, Zaku, Suigetsu, Hidan, Kakuzu, Kimimarro or even Might Guy...Though I'd find that one hard. ANYONE! As long as they are a mostly well known character; I won't be doing any parings with like...Those Rain Nin that Gaara killed or something. I'll send a message to the 300th reviewer and then you send one back telling me your choice, thanks!**

* * *

The days following the miscarriage were probably the worst of my life. Whenever I walked into a room the first thing I'd hear would be "are you okay?" followed by an awkward silence when I didn't respond,

The truth was though, I was fine. I didn't hurt or ache anywhere like Konan had said I would and I was emotionally stable…If anything Deidara was taking it worse than me. But no-one bothered to see if he was alright, because I'm the girl and he's the big, strong Akatsuki! Despite the fact he never went in the room except to sleep, and even then he left it until the very last possible minute. I didn't like it in there either, but it was mostly because the scent of blood still lingered in the air, no matter how many candles or incense sticks we lit it never went away. At night we'd stuff our noses under the covers or into the pillows to avoid it,

He was still adamant about leaving the base but every time he addressed Pein he came back with a few new cuts and bruises; needless to say he'd abandoned the pursuit but he didn't stop talking about it, sometimes late into the night just to prevent entering the room. And once inside he sometimes didn't fall asleep for hours. In my mind he was a broken man; my being pregnant had obviously been something special to Deidara, something he'd never thought he'd obtain in his life as a Missing-Nin. Now that it was gone he was empty and no amount of art was going to heal him. He'd even destroyed my spider in an emotional breakdown. He'd promised to make me another one but I told him not to bother, it wouldn't have been the same…And he'd probably kill that one too in a matter of hours,

Laying in the bed, nose covered in the blankets and with the darkness surrounding me, I felt Deidara roll over for what felt like the hundredth time, moan, roll over again and fall to the floor with a grunt "Dei?" I sighed, leaning over the edge, I could just see his outline, flat on his back with arms and legs spread wide, I shook my head "Dei"

"This place stinks, un" he spat "I want to leave"

I turned back towards the wall "I know, I know" I replied quietly, slowly drifting off, he was already beginning another of his rants as he climbed back under the duvet "but Pein said-"

"I know what he said! Un…But it's not fair! He never gives me a reason why we can't go. He just says 'because I said so' and leaves it at that!"

"Maybe he's looking for a new partner for you" I tried, he snorted,

"I'm probably going to get stuck with Tobi or something, un" I smiled lightly but he didn't see it "he's most likely waiting for you to get pregnant again"

"Good luck…" I muttered, he stroked my cheek as he lay down behind me,

"He did say he wanted a weapon, un"

"He can't make us" I argued "I'm a Missing-Nin too, there's nothing he can hold over our heads" I heard the man mumbled something but didn't catch it,

"There's nothing to stop him giving us a deadline like before. He still has the power to separate us, un. This is what I've been talking about! Everything we do is being monitored by him; we can't even go into town without there being some ulterior motive!" I didn't reply so he placed a hand on my shoulder and kissed my cheek gently "you always fall asleep before I'm finished, un" and then he rolled over to attempt to sleep.

* * *

"Akina! Akina! Wake up! Un, something's happened!" I was rudely shaken wake and snapped my eyes open dizzily to stare up at Deidara's cornflower blue coloured orbs,

"What? What time is it?"

"Three in the morning, un"

"Huh? Wake me when it's noon!" I tried to cover myself but the blond forcefully dragged me from the bed and supported me as I struggled to get my legs under me "wha…? Deidara!"

"We're leaving, un" he grabbed a small shoulder bag from the wardrobe and began to pack his clay and some clothes into it, he dug out a second one and tossed it to me "pack some essentials"

"Pein said we could go?" he nodded,

"Yeah, now c'mon! Hop to it, un" I started doing the same as him, though when I packed it was neater and I packed an array of clothes, from jumpers, to pants to sleeveless shirts, Deidara on the other hand was just cramming whatever he could into the bag in the hopes it would fit,

"So where're we going?" I asked as my hair and toothbrush vanished along with my clothes,

"It's…A surprise, un" he grinned, I blinked,

"Why are we leaving in the middle of the night?"

"So it won't bother the others. And you know what Tobi would be like, un, he'd be shoving presents in our arms and begging us to visit! It would take too long"

"I guess" I zipped up the bag and moved on to dressing myself "but I would have liked to have said goodbye"

"You can write them a letter, un" he frantically tied a cloak around my shoulders and led me into the hall "okay, quietly now" he ordered "don't want to wake anyone do we?" I shook my head and followed him around the corner and up the steps onto the hill where mine and Tobi's snowman still stood, I waited as Deidara moulded a clay bird for us to travel on, when he'd enlarged it I watched as it swallowed our bags,

"That's pretty neat" I commented, scrambling onto it's back with the Iwa-Nin "where's your cloak?"

"In the bird, un"

"Won't you need it?"

"I'll get it later!"

"What about your ring? It's missing!"

"Oh…Uh…The other's will send it to me" I started to ask why he couldn't just run back and get it when he wrapped an arm around my waist as the bird took off, the air was knocked from my lungs by the force and speed that the bird moved, having only watched them I was amazed at how fast they actually were. I clung onto my partners' shirt and ducked my head, Deidara noticed how I was struggling to adapt and took the bird higher so it could ride the wind currents and make the sensation gentler,

Staring over the side carefully I was dismayed to see that the ground wasn't visible through the clouds, slightly annoyed I turned back to the man to see him concentrating on something "when did Pein say we could leave?"

"Huh?" he snapped back to attention "oh, um…He called me to talk about an hour ago, un. He said he'd been thinking about what I'd said and decided that moving would be the best option"

"He called you to talk at two in the morning? I cocked an eyebrow suspiciously, he nodded,

"Yeah, Leader's never been one to have a bedtime, un" he laughed I frowned,

"Deidara. Why are we really leaving?" he froze,

"Like I said, because Leader said we could! Un"

"Dei-"

"Oh look, un. Only twenty minutes of flight and we're already two hours from Ame. Neat, huh?"

"Dei-"

"We'll stop off at the base in Grass to rest, un, and then we can continue the next day"

"Dei-"

"Maybe we could visit one of the smaller villages and try out one of those couple hotels I've heard about, un. How about it?" I opened my mouth "great. So it's settled" I snapped it shut and growled, he was deliberately dodging me and was lying about Pein giving us permission to leave, his cloak wasn't in the bird and the others wouldn't be sending his ring, he'd left them somewhere in the room as a message that he wouldn't be returning. He was running away and taking me with him…

I was being kidnapped by my kidnapper!

* * *

When the first cracks of light appeared over the horizon we'd landed in Grass outside of a tiny shack, it barely looked big enough for the two of us; Deidara tried to open the door but it was stuck, he chuckled nervously and thrust against it with his shoulder a few times and I saw it loosen slightly "just a little more, un" he grunted before it finally gave in and he fell headfirst into the kitchen, in the process he smacked his chin against the small table "fuck!" he swore, clenching his jaw in pain,

"Are you okay?" I asked as I helped him up, he nodded and glanced around with a grimace,

"This place hasn't been used in a while, un" he swiped his finger across the cooker and with it went about two inches of dust and grime, he scowled "the rooms should be better" he promised, leading me out into the hall, there were only three other doors, the one beside the kitchen went into a tiny living room, while the other two were for cupboard sized bedrooms, there was literally a bed, nothing more "it's only a single" the blond muttered "at least we'll be warm! Un"

"We're in Kusa" I elaborated "we'll be struggling not to be warm whilst here" he laughed and dumped our two bags onto the remaining floor space, the bird was outside as a sentry, to warn us if any Nin, from Grass or otherwise, were coming too close, I opened the window, which was an equally tiny thing near the top of the wall, and took the pillows, sheets and duvet outside so I could dust them, Deidara meanwhile was waiting impatiently for me to finish but the only time he moved to help was to take the items back to the bedroom to replace them,

"This place was not made for long term stays" he explained "it's more of a rest spot than a hideout, un"

"Was this the base you wanted to take us to?" I removed my shoes and slipped under the slightly less smelly blankets, the male followed me and pressed up against my back with his arms around my hips and stomach, it was defiantly a squeeze but Deidara obviously didn't mind because I could feel his lips stretched into a grin against my neck, I took a deep breath before closing my eyes,

"No, un, the one I was going to take us to was much bigger. Think the Konoha base but with a bigger garden and in the middle of no-where" he replied, I nodded and hummed in response, he kissed the skin of my shoulder and neck before chuckling slightly,

"What?"

"These past few weeks I've been feeling so depressed and suffocated, un. Now that we're finally free and it's just the two of us it's like a huge weight has been lifted from me"

"I said those same words after 'that' night" I muttered "seems ironic that we're in a claustrophobic's worst nightmare yet you feel free" he snorted and I couldn't help but smile,

"I don't suppose you'd understand, un. You've been caged all this time, you don't know what it's like to be caged but have the door left open in-front you but never being able to leave"

"I think having the door closed is worse" I whispered "because you never have a chance of escaping…" I felt his arms tighten around me "Pein never gave us permission…Why are we doing this?"

"Pein…He's done something, un…"

"What?"

"After the miscarriage, un, he decided you weren't worth the trouble of keeping alive and today…Today was going to be our last day together because he was going to take you away…"

"And do what?"

"I don't know" I yawned widely and tried to hide it but was unsuccessful "get some sleep, un, we'll set off again after lunch" he stroked my hair softly and the sensation lulled me into a light doze.

* * *

I woke up before the blond; the bed was not made to hold more than one person and Deidara had fallen from it at some when we were sleeping, he hadn't stirred though and was curled up snoring loudly. I stretched and moaned when the bones in my back and arms cracked, the mattress was like a rock and the stench of dusty and mouldy sheets had clung to my clothes so I decided that instead of hanging around waiting for the male to wake, I'd find something to do,

I took the blanket and tossed it over him, an old blanket was better than no blanket, before quietly slipping on my shoes and sneaking from the room; there was nothing in the kitchen that looked edible, and I didn't trust what was in the cans as they'd lost their labels,

With a huff I started outside, only to be blocked by a large clay wing after only a few steps "hey!" it knocked me down onto the floor but when it saw who I was it stopped and waited, allowing me time to get back on my feet "thank you!" I snapped, it chirped "now, do you think you could help me find anything to eat?" it cocked its head to the side but didn't move,

"It won't listen to you, un" I jumped and turned to see Deidara standing in the doorway trying to pick the knots from his hair "but it's fine, we'll find a town and get some food there"

"Fine" I sighed "but I'm getting changed first, I don't want to smell like this all day!" I slipped past him but he pulled me back into his chest,

"Aw…Why not? Un, I think you smell divine!" he laughed as I scowled,

"Well I don't think you do!" I replied testily "I think you smell like the wrong end of a camel!" he released me and sniffed his shirt before shrugging,

"I've been worse, un" I rolled my eyes and moved back to the bedroom leaving him to wait beside the bird.

After I'd changed into a white long sleeved shirt and deep purple three-quarter length pants, I climbed onto the birds back with the blond and together we headed south, towards a small village on the outskirts of Grass that the both of us had visited once before at some point. By the time we'd reached it we'd been out of the Akatsuki base for over twelve hours; if they hadn't found us by now there was very little chance they would in the future, but that didn't mean we could take it easy, we'd have to keep moving for a few weeks before we could even think of relaxing for more than a few hours,

We landed a couple miles from the village gate so as to avoid suspicion and walked the rest of the way; it was a cute village, that's all that could be said about it! There were a few houses, a couple shops and a small café. It was a closed off area as very few tourists passed through and the condition of the buildings reflected that; they were a little run down but at the same time they were clean and neat,

Deidara dug around in his pockets and pulled out some notes "I raided Kakuzu's savings before I woke you up, un" he grinned "you wouldn't believe how many traps that guy has, I was lucky to escape with everything intact…Most of those things aim for the crotch so I'm unsure if everything's working right cause one actually hit me"

"What was it?"

"A hammer, un"

"Ouch"

"Yeah that's what I said…Only louder…And with more swear words, un" I giggled "don't know why you're laughing…You're the one who has to check it!" my lungs were sucked dry of air and I chocked, he merely smirked and waited for me to calm down,

"Shouldn't we be getting something to eat?" I coughed when I'd taken in enough air to form a sentence,

His smirk turned into a smile as we entered the tiny café near the entrance of the town "so what did you want to eat? Un, anything you want!"

"Just a sandwich for me"

"Aw, c'mon! Anything you want and you only want a sandwich? Un" I nodded "Kakuzu's buying…" he sang,

"We should be trying save as much of that as we can" he rolled his eyes at me from across the table,

"Just one little splurge on dinner won't hurt, un" I sighed,

"You don't know the first thing about saving money do you?" he shook his head,

"Nope, un"

"Fine; then from now on I'll make a note of our finances" the man snorted,

"Sure, sure, whatever, un. Do what you want" he wasn't paying attention, instead he was reading the menu so I gave up with the argument and began looking over the sandwiches "made up your mind?"

"Um…"

"They have Unagi, un" I bit my lip as my mouth watered, Deidara smirked,

"Stop trying to make me waste money!" I hissed,

"I'm ordering you Unagi, un" he stated as he stood up to order at the register, I huffed and turned to look out the window with my chin resting on my hand; when he returned I ignored him, even when he held my free hand and the mouth started licking, kissing and nipping the palm, even when he rubbed his leg against mine and even when he began whispering sexual things across the table. I felt my face turning red and thanked whomever was watching that there were only two other groups of people in the building, a pair of old ladies and a young couple with a small baby, and they weren't close enough to hear him,

He paused when our food was placed in-front of us; Deidara had ordered himself some Bakudan and dug into it heartily, I nibbled my own meal slowly and a little less messily "still ignoring me? Un" I sighed,

"You're an idiot!"

"But that's why you like me so much, un" he laughed "I keep things interesting" I growled in response as I wiped my mouth, he did the same and threw some money onto the table before leaving, I followed after him whilst muttering to myself about how much he was annoying me. On out way out of the village he stopped and I passed him "oh, I forgot something!"

"What?" I asked, looking back with my eyebrows cocked, he slid closer and wrapped an arm securely around my waist and pressed his hand behind my head as he forced his lips onto mine to deliver a mind-blowing kiss,

"That, un" he purred as he pulled back,

"You're an ass!" I snapped, he kissed me again, this time dipping me, my hair brushed against the floor as his own tickled my cheeks, my eyelids dropped lightly as I felt him consume me "still…An…Ass!" I panted when he'd righted us "no amount of kissing is going to make you less annoying! Now tell me how much money you have so I can make a note of it!"

He sighed "sometimes I wonder why I bother, un, you're too stubborn!" I smirked.

* * *

Rose: I'll end it there, on that nice little sweet note,

Review please!


	38. The Seal

Rose: Now I know I only updated about four days ago, but I've got two HUGE English essays due in so I thought I'd upload the chapter sooner rather than later, the good thing is that if I upload this and then spend all my time on my school work I might have the next chapter up by this weekend...Maybe...Well enjoy!

Disclaimer: OC's and plot.

* * *

"What's the date? Un?"

I looked up from the small fire I'd made towards the Iwa-Nin currently knee deep in water with a makeshift spear "well…It's defiantly December" I grinned, he frowned,

"Cute, un"

"Well…We left Ame a week ago, so what was the date then? Just add seven to it"

"I don't remember, un, that's the problem!"

"Why is it so important?" I asked, watching as he readied his spear, he shrugged,

"I just wanted to know the date, un, what's wrong with that?" I rolled my eyes,

"Okay, okay, no need to get snippy" he mimicked my words in a high pitched voice, mocking me "oh real mature" he shot me a sexy smile, obviously meant to soften me but it didn't work,

"You're so uptight, un...Not that I mind it most of the-"

"Enough innuendos!" I ordered "that's all I've heard from you all week!" he chuckled and went back to trying to catch dinner, I meanwhile grabbed the clothes from our bags and set to work washing them as best I could in the river,

"We could probably find a news stand in the next town we reach, un" I nodded,

"Still don't know why you care so much. Not like anything important is coming up" he ignored me and thrust the spear into the water, pulling back I saw he had a large fish on the end of it; I assumed it was a salmon or something but I wasn't entirely sure,

"Haha! Dinner, un, and you said I wouldn't catch anything!"

"No I said whatever you caught would be a fluke" I corrected before hanging the clothes in the trees to dry, he scoffed,

"That was pure skill, Beautiful, un"

"It took you thirty tries to catch one fish!"

"I still caught one! Un" I groaned,

"Forget it, just give it here so I can cook it!" he was smirking as he handed it over, I scaled and sliced it before hanging it above the fire "we should have brought a tent when we'd left"

"My stone igloos not nice enough? Un" I cocked my head to the side along with an eyebrow,

"Oh they're nice" I commented "they're just not comfy, I swear everyday this week I've found dirt in places I didn't even know existed" Deidara laughed and ruffled my hair,

"You get used to it after a yeah or two, un" he joked, I punched him…Hard, he was still rubbing his arm when I handed him his fish; but the warm food seemed to heal all his pain as he didn't comment or whine about it the whole time he was eating,

His clay bird had been shrunk down as the forest was too dense for it to remain large, and it was now hopping around the little earth hut he'd had constructed earlier,

Our current location was a mystery to me; we'd travelled south for a bit and then west, but three days ago when we'd left our last campsite beside an eerily quiet town Deidara had refused to tell me which way we were headed, he made sure to remain above the clouds so no-one would see us but also to stop me spotting any landmarks and in the sky when the blond was soaring about and twisting into flips and figure eights, which scared the hell out of me, I had trouble figuring out which way was up! And at night he was always careful to hide us in heavily wooded areas or near towns so I wouldn't spot the North Star, the constant state of ignorance was beginning to annoy me,

A breeze blew in from between the trees and caused the fire to flicker and a shiver to rack my body, the blond noticed as he was licking his fingers clean "time for bed, un" he ordered, I frowned but stood up anyway and made my way to the shelter while he put out the fire, it was warmer in the igloo, but only a little and the only things we had to keep warm were each other but even then that wasn't much,

He crawled in and sealed the entrance before lying down behind me, like usual he tied his arms around my waist and nuzzled my neck "ouch!" I yelped and leapt away; rubbing the soft skin he's abused "your stubble hurts"

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully "you can't see me with a beard? Un"

I shook my head "sorry Deidara, but every time I imagine you with facial hair I can't help but laugh" he sniggered,

"Yeah me too, un"

"I thought all Shinobi could shave with a Kunai" I teased,

"I missed that lesson in the Academy, un. Left before it was given to me"

"So you never bothered to learn?"

"Are you kidding? Un, self-learning would involve lots of cuts and lots of cuts means lots of scars…Do you think I'm going to maim this handsome face?"

"You arrogant ass" I breathed in exasperation as I lay down on my side facing him "besides…Scars are sexy, or didn't you know that?" he cocked a golden eyebrow,

"I'll keep that in mind, un" he dragged me closer to his form "although I do have a few scars, think they're sexy do you?"

"You mean those tiny scratches from the Konoha ambush?" he blanched,

"They've scarred! Un. But I was talking about my arms" he rolled up his left sleeve and flexed his muscles while I hummed in thought,

"I suppose those could be considered sexy…But those little ones don't exactly say 'I've barely come out of this alive' do they?" he frowned and forced me onto my back so he could straddle me, I gasped as he pinned both my wrists above my head and began to suck at my throat,

"I think I've proven a few times that I don't need scars to turn you on, un" I let out a tiny mewl when he pulled back "and I think I've just taught you why you shouldn't tease red-blooded males who are used to getting what they want"

"Oh, but it's so enjoyable to watch you become frustrated when you don't get it" he rolled off me and instead tickled my sides lightly,

"You know how cruel it is to get me worked up, right? Un" he pouted, I pressed a finger to his lips to flatten them,

"Nice try, now goodnight" he blinked and nodded,

"Goodnight, un" with the conversation finished I rolled over so my back was facing him "would you mind if I just groped you a little? You know, so I can at least remember what it was like?" I elbowed him in the gut "I…Was…Kidding…Un" he chocked.

* * *

"Deidara where are we going?" I asked, today we were walking through the forest to the next town as his Chakra was running low and he wanted to save it in-case of an emergency, it was only a few miles away so it didn't matter anyhow,

"You'll see, un" his response caused my face to crease in a frown but because I was walking behind him he didn't see,

"Can you at least tell me which direction we're heading?"

"No, un"

"Ugh!" he chuckled and doubled back so we were side by side,

"Okay, un. Right now we're heading towards a small mining town where we can stay in an inn for the night" I perked up a little before something occurred to me,

"But won't we waste time and money doing that?"

"I need to rest to regain my Chakra, un, or don't you like the idea of a nice, warm bed?"

"Mean" I bit out "but fine! If you need the rest I suppose it can't be helped" he grinned before slipping his arm through mine and tugging me a little closer, I stumbled slightly but was able to regain my balance easily,

In such a remote area there was no chance of running into any Ninja, even so Deidara hadn't worn his headband for over four days now, so the walk was pleasant enough, especially since the terrain was flat, it was more like a gentle stroll than a hike and the firs everywhere gave off such a mesmerising scent that I almost forgot what we were doing until Deidara tugged on my arm excitably,

"The town's visible from here, un" through the gaps in the trees I could just make out some buildings and as we got closer I saw the sky was black with ash, Deidara grimaced "I thought the mines were disused, un" he muttered "whatever, there's an inn over there" this town was much bigger than the other small villages we'd visited, obviously the mines gave it a lot of income because the buildings were pristine despite the ash and soot, there were small gardens with typical picket fences and flowers that were being tended to by men and women alike as children played in the streets,

A ball rolled and landed by my foot so I bent down to pick it up and handed it to the girl who came running, she smiled widely at me and I did the same, causing her to giggle before she skipped back to her friends; turning to the blond man who'd walked a little ahead I saw him waiting patiently, he took my hand in his and squeezed tightly and I noticed as we made out way to the inn that he was keeping his head low, though I assumed it was in-case anyone recognised him,

"Just one room?" the inn-keeper asked, the inn was equally as nice on the outside but inside it was a little shabbier with peeling wallpaper and the resounding stench of over-cooked food but it was still better than outside; Deidara nodded and fished out some coins to pay him "such a cute couple" he smiled, Deidara merely nodded again and led me up the stairs towards our room, once inside he locked the door and I heard him breath a heavy sigh of relief

"It's the twenty-ninth, un, it said on the register"

"Oh…We missed Christmas" I pouted,

"Not like anyone at the base would celebrate it anyway, un. At least now we know why that town was so empty" he clenched his fist tightly and let out a groan,

"Are you okay?" I stepped closer to try and see his face,

"Yeah, un, I'm fine. It's just…Seeing you with that kid made me think about…About what we could have had" I placed a hand on his shoulder and he covered it with his own,

"You can't get all depressed whenever you see a child" I joked, he laughed shortly,

"You're right, un" he straightened his back and turned to face me with a grin, then his uncovered eye flickered to the bed "ah! A real mattress" I giggled as he flopped onto it and fell asleep immediately, stepping closer I removed his shoes, scope and clay pouches and tugged the duvet from under him so I could throw it over him instead, he let out a quiet snore as I sat down by his side,

Pressing a kiss to his forehead I saw his lips crack into a small smile; his fist was clenched tightly and I saw the key to the door glint at me, I tried to pry his fingers apart but even in sleep his grip was like iron and I had to give up after only a few minutes, he was muttering quietly now and I sighed as I tucked the sheets in around him a little better, as I was his hand fell open and the key dropped to the floor with a loud clatter, he stirred and rolled over but didn't wake up,

Carefully I picked it up and moved over to the door, slipping it in I took a deep breath before turning it, I could barely hear the click as it unlocked over the pounding of my heart, as a last second thought I doubled back and grabbed one of the smaller pouches of money from inside his bag and slipped it into my own pocket, I kissed his forehead again before locking the door behind me,

I returned a few hours later.

* * *

Deidara slept for most of the day and well into the night, when he did finally awake I was sitting in the moth-eaten armchair with a notebook in my lap filled with numbers and scribbles about our finances,

He sat up and yawned before shooting me a lazy smile "hey, un" he greeted, I saw him pat his face and realise his scope was missing but shrugged it off before slipping out of the covers and strolling closer, he moved behind me and wrapped his arms around my neck lightly and kissed the top of my head,

"I'm sorry" I whispered,

"About what? Un" I felt him tense and he began to search his pockets frantically,

"It's on the bedside table" he paused and looked over to see the key to the door beside the lamp, he breathed a sigh of relief,

"Then…What are you sorry about? Un"

"I must have done something wrong and that's why I had the miscarriage" I explained, I felt him embrace me from behind again,

"It was no-ones fault" he whispered in my ear before nipping it softly "those things happen, there was nothing we could have done to prevent it; and there was nothing you had done that caused it, un" he nuzzled my hair roughly to comfort me,

"But-"

"Nothing, un" he said shortly "you said it yourself, that baby just wasn't for us!" I sighed,

"If you say so…"

"Don't be so sad, Beautiful" he whispered, I raised a hand and ran it along his cheek, feeling the short, sharp hairs prick my skin "I think there might be a razor in the bathroom, un"

"Those ones are cheap, I bought you some better ones" I pointed to the bag beside the door, he chocked as the air left his lungs,

"You…You left the room?" I nodded "and…You came back? Un" I nodded again "why?" he breathed, I shrugged,

"Nowhere to go I suppose" he stumbled towards the bag jerkily; as if worried I'd placed something inside that would attack him at any moment "I think I've developed a case of Stockholm Syndrome" I smiled, he chuckled,

"Either that or you're crazy, un"

"You're one to talk" I said quietly, he laughed again,

"True" I watched as he unwrapped the razors and vanished into the bathroom, when he was finished he replaced the packet and knelt down on the floor before me, I cocked my head at him and watched as he took my hand and ran over his face "better? Un"

"Much" I replied, he leant up and pressed his lips to mine, I responded slowly but even so it didn't escalate into anything more,

"I adore you, un" his voice was barely a whisper but I heard him anyway,

"I know" he lay his head in my lap, my hand still clasped in his own, to my surprise the hand-mouth wasn't moving "have you figured out what that means?"

"No" I ran my free hand through his hair; he growled in enjoyment at the sensation "what's the one thing you want more than anything else? Un"

"Why?" I asked, he fidgeted slightly,

"Because I want to get it for you, whatever it is, wherever it is"

"You'll get mad"

"No I won't, what is it? Un, something from your village? From back in Ame?"

"I want my Chakra back…So I can summon Abir" he flinched,

"Your Chakra? Un" I watched as he lifted his head to look me in the eye "there's nothing else?" I shook my head; he stood up and walked towards the window behind me, I sighed,

_I knew he'd be upset._

I jumped, however, when his hands began brushing my hair away from the back of my neck "Deidara? What're you-"

"Removing the seal"

"Ah…But-"

"You want you Chakra back don't you? Un" I nodded "okay then, hold still"

He pressed his thumb and index finger to the centre of my neck, the point where all the Chakra currents join in a single spot "I never saw a seal there" I voiced,

"It's underneath, un" he explained, I waited as his fingers pinched the skin, from under it I felt a kind of tug before a sharp pain accompanied the removal of the digits, I gasped and clutched the aching section, he forced my hands away and kissed it and at the same time I began to feel dizzy but he steadied me by gripping my shoulders "it's okay. You just need to get used to the feel of Chakra again"

I moaned quietly before fainting in Deidara's arms.

* * *

Rose: It took over thirty chapters…But Akina finally has Chakra again!

Review please!


	39. Rock and Dog Clash!

Rose: Hey, I finished all my homework so now I have a quick five minutes to post this up before heading out to work. Enjoy! Oh and thanks for the reviews!

Disclaimer: OC's and plot.

* * *

When I came too I was in the bed in our room with Deidara was lying beside me on his side, sitting up caused an odd sensation to ripple through my body, it was like a constant but not unpleasant humming from under my skin, I knew at once it was the feeling of my Chakra making its way around my body, I also knew that within a few hours I wouldn't notice the hum as it would be as familiar as my own heartbeat,

Shifting my weight onto my hip I leaned over the blond and shook his shoulder roughly, he muttered something inaudible to my ears before cracking his eyes open and turning to gaze dreamily up at me "hey Beautiful, un, how're you feeling?"

"Fine" I replied, he stroked my cheek,

"Have you tried using any techniques yet? Un" he yawned,

"Well there was this one Sakura taught me that can shrink a mans penis without him realising…" his eyes widened and he scrambled to check he was all 'still there'; he glared at me when he was finished,

"Adorable, un" he sneered before forcing me down to lie on his chest "I'll take it as a 'no' then, you haven't tried any. Why not? I thought you wanted to summon Abour?"

"Abir" I corrected,

"Whatever, un"

"What will he say?" I asked "when he gets here, what will he think?"

"Let him think what he wants to think, un, and say what he wants to say"

"But…" I cut myself off and sat back up, resting my elbows on my knees, Deidara sat up also and reached for his scope by the lamp on the bedside table, I bit my thumb and pressed my hands together "Guardian of the Forest…Abir!" there was a puff of smoke at the foot of the bed, a pair of glowing red eyes stared out and a low, feral grow echoed around the room, the Iwa-Nin tensed and reached slowly for his clay pouches, at the same time the growling grew louder,

Finally the smoke cleared and a small dog like creature with fur as black as jet was revealed to be sitting by our feet, it leapt forward with pearly white teeth bared and Deidara cried out and fell to the floor, but the Houkou ignored him and landed on me "Akina!" he yipped, tail wagging "I thought I'd never see you again!" I laughed and held him close, clinging to his fur tightly,

"Hey! Un, what about me?" we turned to see the blond climbing back into the bed, in an instant Abir was on the offensive, standing in-front of me at his full height he was quite menacing, even though he was about half the size of Akamaru that still meant he was fairly large, hackles raised he snarled at the other male who looked shocked "Akina!" he frowned "call the mutt off, NOW!"

"Abir, it's okay-"

"Okay? OKAY? He kidnapped you!"

"Oh, you heard about that?"

"After the attack on Konoha; I was hanging around for a few days trying to gather information when suddenly I was sent back to the Summon Village, it occurred to me that you'd probably had your Chakra blocked off and that was the cause"

"Yeah, it was blocked off"

Abir stepped closer to the Rock-Nin who backed away slightly "I'm going to enjoy ripping your face off…" he was practically drooling at the thought, Deidara, however, was ready when the hound dived for him and rolled back, Abir hit the floor and yelped,

"Abir! Stop it!" I ordered, he turned back to me with his tail between his legs and his ears flat against his head,

"Haha, you got in trouble, un"

"Deidara! You too!" he blinked and Abir sniggered before jumping back onto the bed with me, I scratched him behind the ears which caused him to growl happily, Deidara moved closer and sat on the bed also, Abir gave him a sidelong glance that clearly held a deeper warning,

"Hey, I unblocked her Chakra I can just as easily block it up again, un" I frowned and when Abir and turned his head away I saw him mouth 'I wouldn't really' which caused me to roll my eyes,

"Snow-Top" Abir called, I looked down at him and smiled warmly at the old nick-name, his voice lowered "why are you with **him**? Is this Akatsuki Headquarters? Is this where you've been all this time?"

"No, we've left the Akatsuki base; just over a week ago actually" I explained,

"Why?"

"Because her life was in danger, un" Abir barked angrily but Deidara merely snorted "I saved her life! In-fact, I've saved her life a few times these past few months, for that reason alone, you owe me!"

The dog didn't like the idea of being indebted to the Missing-Nin and so turned to me for confirmation, I nodded which caused him to relent, though not before uttering a few choice words in the mans direction, something the other male didn't appreciate "you better not have hurt her!" the hound threatened at last, Deidara smirked,

"Oh don't worry; we're way past that, un"

"Deidara!" I hissed, Abir turned to me confused,

"What does he mean? Has he hurt you? When? How long ago? Can I kill him for it?"

"No, you cannot kill him" Abir frowned "and he hasn't hurt me…Not purposely at least" Deidara was wearing an expression was incredible smugness as I spoke, the jet canine noticed the look and snarled,

"Let's just say, un, don't be expecting to go back to that village of yours anytime soon" I slapped my face with my palm as the two males argued back and forth,

"Shouldn't we be going?" I shouted after ten minutes of needless bickering, they stared at me,

"Sure, un" Deidara went to help me out of the bed but Abir beat him to it and supported me as I stood up,

"I feel much better" I moaned as I stretched my whole body "so, where're we heading next?"

"Ah, ah, ah!" the blond tapped my nose "didn't I say it was a surprise?" he pulled me closer and brushed his lips against my own "AW FUCK!" he leapt back and crashed into the armchair and small table with Abir attached to his calf "GET OFF YOU STUPID MUTT!"

"Abir! Abir let go!" I crossed my arms and stared down at the summon, in an instant he'd released his jaws and trotted back over to me, I saw him smirk at the withering blond who was too busy nursing the wound on his leg,

"That fucking mutt, un!" he rasped "I'm gonna kill it!" I dived between the two of them, holding Deidara back was a struggle and it didn't help that Abir was goading him on from the bed,

"STOP IT! STOP IT BOTH OF YOU!" they froze and I glared at the two of them "you are acting like children!" they backed away and hung their heads in shame "now, let's pack our bags and head out!" they nodded and worked together to tidy the room and collect clothes or other items, once they were finished I took my bag from Deidara and together the three of us left the inn, to the confusion of the keeper as he was probably wondering where the dog had come from and as to why Deidara was limping.

* * *

Abir didn't like flying; we'd learned that within five minutes of take off. He'd practically destroying the left wing of the bird which had called for an emergency landing, needless to say Deidara was not impressed as he was forced to scrap the thing, during his rant Abir took cover behind me so the bomb technician wasn't temped to attack him again, we were forced to wait for his fury to subside and took a seat by a large tree in the shade as the blond paced back and force and uttered swear words and death threats,

"Why do you stay with him?" the hound asked after a few minutes "he's obviously not stable! You're only putting yourself in danger when you're near him!"

"Funny how you never said that about Gaara when I was dating him" I replied, Deidara froze and scowled at us,

"I heard the name of an ex-boyfriend! Un" he growled dangerously "and it was the one I particularly hate!"

"Oh no" I smiled "I said 'Dara', it's a simple mistake as they sound alike" he nodded and went back to his rant,

"He's possessive too" Abir added,

"It's a cute possessive" I defended "he only gets a tiny bit jealous when I talk to men he doesn't know" the dog huffed,

"He's an Akatsuki!"

"Ex"

"Have you even tried to run away?" he asked finally, I sighed,

"I've only tried once, but it didn't work out" I recalled the bathroom window on our date during my last night as a Konoha Citizen "but now…I don't have a choice but to stay with him"

"And why's that?"

"I'm a traitor to Konoha" I sighed "if I went back they'd kill me, I have nowhere else to go"

"What did you do?" Abirs' raspberry coloured eyes widened as a million ideas flew through his head,

"I didn't put Konoha in jeopardy if that's what you're thinking…But I was forced to choose between my village and my dignity"

"I'm assuming you chose dignity?"

"It sounds even worst when you say it out loud" I muttered, sneaking a glance at the Shinobi to make sure he was still busy,

"Meh, I would have make the same choice" I shook my head; he was telling the truth but only because Houkou are an incredibly proud race and any knock to their dignity would be ten times worse than death,

"So what did they make you do?" I bit my lip,

"I…Promise you won't judge me?" he nodded "I…Slept with him" he gaped at me,

"You what!?"

"If I hadn't of done it…I'd have been raped by the Akatsuki subordinates" he nodded "it wasn't my first choice, if there had been any other way-"

"Akina, I understand" Abir nuzzled my arm, an unusual display of affection for the usually stoic animal "but that doesn't explain why you're out here in who-knows-where!"

"You see…I…"

"Yes?"

"I got pregnant" his hackles shot up,

"That bastard! I'll rip his balls off!"

"Abir" I soothed "it was an accident, but it doesn't matter anyway…I lost it over a week ago…And the Leader of the Akatsuki, Pein, had wanted to use the baby as a weapon of some sort and after the…Accident…He decided it wasn't worth keeping me alive, Deidara didn't want me to die and so we ran away"

"He put his own life in danger just to save you?" I nodded "why? I'm sure he could have gotten another girl"

"Yeah, that's what I thought" I sighed "nothing would have happened to him during all those months, but even so he kept putting himself in harms way for me"

"No offence but I think he's an idiot"

I laughed "yeah I know"

"No I really mean it. He's stupid!"

"I heard that! Un" I giggled as Deidara stormed over "looks like we'll have to walk to the next town or village" he bit his lip "I want to get there before the end of the month though, and I don't know how far away it is"

"Why the end of the month?"

He waved me off "don't worry, un, I've got everything under control"

"That's not what I asked!" he shrugged and began to march down a path between the trees, Abir and I jogged to catch up with him, when we were close enough he tried to slip his hand into mine but the hound pushed between us and prevented him; I stifled another giggle at Deidara's expression as he fought back the urge to kick the dog,

"Why'd you have to keep him around? You've summoned him now send him back! Un"

"Ha, like I'm leaving you alone with her, pervert!" Abir chuckled cockily and Deidara flexed his fingers,

"It's just nice to have someone else around" I said, the blond smiled,

"Aw, that's sweet, un…Now send him back!"

"I don't want to!"

"Akina!"

"Deidara!"

"I'm warning you, un" I scoffed and he realised his threat was empty "fine! Keep the damn mutt! But if he bites me again I won't hesitate to turn him into a work of art!"

"Work of art?" Abir repeated,

"Don't ask, you don't want to know" I said shortly, he blinked and shrugged before trotting off a little ways ahead,

"You realise I can move faster than the two of you? Right?" he asked,

"Yea Abir, we get it. No need to be a show off" I grinned, he frowned,

"Well, since you seemed to have missed it…I can run ahead and find out how far the next town or village is" Deidara perked up,

"Finally…A use for you, un" Abir huffed and stuck his tail up, his equivalent of the middle finger, and leapt into the trees "quick while he's gone, let's run for it!"

"He'd sniff us out" I replied in a bored tone "you know I'll bet if you spent time with him you'd like each other a lot"

"Name one thing we have in common that we could talk about! Un"

"Me" his face fell,

"Okay name two things! Un"

"Deidara…" he slid his arms around me, causing us to halt where we stood,

"Well if we can't ditch him…How would you like to…Oof!" I shoved him away and rolled my eyes,

"Hornier than a Horned Lizard" I mumbled to myself as I carried on walking, he struggled to keep up,

"Just because I like to make beautiful artworks with you does not make me horny or a pervert, un"

"It does when you ask to every. Single. Day!" I argued,

"I don't think wanting sex everyday is too much to ask, un" he joked, I let out a moan of frustration "I was kidding" I smiled,

"Aw, that's sweet…But you aren't getting any in the middle of a forest"

"But…But…Un"

"No buts. Now c'mon, the more we walk now the less we'll have to walk tomorrow"

For the first time in months I felt Chakra rush to my feet as I leapt into the trees, Deidara close behind "enjoying yourself?" he asked, I nodded,

"I haven't felt this free in a long time!" we kept to a medium pace and remained by the path so as not to get lost, we'd only been running a few hours when Abir landed and ran beside me,

"There's a town to the north-west, about a day and a half's travel if we keep a steady pace like this"

"Okay, un. Let's go"

* * *

Rose: Anyone else noticed I like ending my chapters with someone speaking? Anyway, yay Abir is back, now sit back and watch the hilarity ensue!

Review please!


	40. Dog and Rock Clash Take Two!

Rose: I'm having one of those weeks where I can't stop writing this story, but just wait. By the time the week is over I'll be off writing the chapters for my other stories and have left this for a month or so, it's a good thing I stock up on them then, isn't it?

Disclaimer: OC's and plot.

* * *

"Akina, I don't understand what you see in him" I turned to address Abir as he sat beside me inside the stone igloo, Deidara was outside setting up some clay sentries as we were only half a days trip from a highly populated town and it was possible that someone might recognise him so we had to be prepared,

"I don't see anything in him!" I blurted out, he cocked an eyebrow,

"Well, if you say so…But he defiantly sees something in you" I blushed and he noticed "he's attracted to you; I can smell the pheromones pouring off of him from here"

"Yeah, I know he is"

"So what's to stop him acting on his impulses?"

"Abir, you may not trust Deidara, but you haven't been with him these past months! I know **I **can trust him!" he jutted his chin out,

"You like him"

"As a friend" I said quickly,

"Friends don't sleep with their friends" he sneered "so how many times have you done it? Including the first time!"

"Twice…But the second time was made up of lots of little sessions over a couple hours" the dog let out a groan and rolled his head "what? I just…I mean…He's really…"

"Handsome?" I flushed "you're so weak"

"I like…Dangerous guys" I explained whilst twirling a lock of my snowy hair, I realised that it had grown longer and now reached my backside and had split ends, I frowned and began to snap them off even though I knew it would probably only make it worse,

"I've noticed" Abir sighed "but you're out of the enemy stronghold now! You could run away!"

"And go where?"

"Wherever you wanted!" he wagged his tail with excitement "go to Mist, Grass, Lightning! Anywhere, you could be free if only you took the chance to run"

"I wouldn't get far"

"Do it while he's asleep, you have your Chakra back, and if he wakes up I'd delay him for you"

"Abir" I whispered "I can't do that to him"

He bared his teeth and snarled "why not? What has he done for you? Really Akina! He kidnapped you! He forced you to sleep with him! He tore you away from your friends and family! He-"

"Abir!" I cried "he's not been the heartless, cruel, beast you seem to think he is. He's been sweet, he's been lovely, he's been the nicest guy in the world and I can't just leave him without paying him back for everything he's done!" my fingers found the blue, teardrop shaped crystal around my neck "that night…It wasn't the forced, terrifying, tear-filled experience you think it was. He was so tender and caring, he went slowly, he held my hand and kissed my tears away…I couldn't have asked for more"

The hound went to speak again but there was a crack outside of the igloo, the two of us tensed as the a section of the wall sunk into the ground and a familiar face stepped inside and rose the earth back up to block out the wind "hey" Deidara grinned "it's really chilly out there, I wouldn't be surprised if it started snowing, un, even I think it's cold and you know it doesn't usually bother me…So, what have you two been talking about?"

We exchanged glances "nothing much" I replied, he cocked an eyebrow but shrugged it off and began to get ready to sleep, he padded his bag to use as a pillow and pulled out my cloak from mine so we could use it as a cover, I lay my head on my own bag and watched the Iwa-Nin lie down beside me, I reached up and removed his scope, setting it down out of harms way whilst he pulled me into a hug and secured the cloak over our forms,

Abir growled and flopped down over our legs, watching us carefully; I stroked the bridge of Deidara's nose, he took my hand and sucked on my fingertips causing me to blush, Abir shifted and moved a little further up. The man holding me kissed my palm and worked his way down my arm to my neck; Abir scurried up a little more and squeezed between us, by this point Deidara had noticed him and had started trying to kick him back to the bottom of the makeshift bed. Defeated, Abir moved away and settled behind me, his head resting in the curve of my waist and one of his legs draped over my thigh; whenever Deidara's hand stayed to close he snapped angrily, not wanting to risk his precious hand-mouths the blond stopped flirting and went back to merely holding me tightly,

"Goodnight" I sighed, smiling from their antics though it was hard for them to see it in the dark,

"Stupid mutt, un"

"Perverted bastard!"

"Why you! Un" I shook my head and rolled over "Akina?"

"I'll cuddle once you've grown up!"

He whined and Abir started to snigger "you damn cock-blocker! Un"

"Excuse me?"

"I…Un…I meant...Um…I adore you?"

"Good. Night!" I repeated "one more sound out of either of you and you're both sleeping outside!" they started to argue "I mean it!" they fell silent and after a few minutes I heard two sets of snoring.

* * *

We reached the town by about lunchtime the next day; the three of us were cautious, Abir was on the lookout for anyone who might recognise us as Deidara was a Missing-Nin and I was being searched for by Konoha, but it didn't seem like there were any Ninja about, Abir couldn't smell anyone or anything that would have given them away. So we let ourselves relax and enjoy the sights,

"I like this town" I said, looking around, it was very busy with paths alongside the buildings leaving an open space for carts between them, and there were a lot of them, there were even designated crossing spots with flashing lights "there's nothing like this back in Konoha"

"Or in Iwa, un"

"This town must be highly economically stable to have so many luxuries" Abir stated, I tugged on the rope we'd secured around his neck,

"Abir, you're a dog! No talking" he let out a sigh before emitting a dog like whine, Deidara sniggered at his position and clapped his arm around me, knowing that the hound wouldn't be able to stop him "you're like children!" I hissed, the blond merely smirked smugly and rubbed my hip,

"You know, un, we should probably buy some food to carry with us so we can stop town hopping"

"Good idea" I nodded, he fished in his pockets and pulled out a small coin case,

"Here" he handed it to me "you go buy some food, I have some business to take care of"

"What kind of business?" I asked, taking the pouch and cocking my head to the side, he pressed his lips to my forehead and grinned secretly,

"You'll see, un. Just meet me in that park over there by the fountain in an hour, okay? You can let the mutt off his lead to stop him complaining" he pointed behind me to a lush green expanse beside an outdoor shopping mall,

"Sure" I nodded "I'll see you then" he waved to me and disappeared into the crowds of people,

"Now's our chance, let's run for it!" Abir bared his teeth in a smile up at me,

"Abir you're a dog, no talking" I replied shortly before heading towards a vegetable stand, he grumbled quietly to himself as he strolled along beside me. As we walked I noticed a few people scurry out of our path, Abir, although trying to appear sweet and innocent, was obviously scaring people enough so that they'd risk being run over by speeding carts than cross his path. Though that didn't stop small children running up and hugging him before their parents dragged them off, I giggled as Abir struggled to keep his embarrassment under control "okay, so what do we need?" I asked myself,

"Can I have something?"

"I'll get you a bone later"

"Awesome" he nodded his head just as a small boy walked past him,

"Mommy! Mommy! That dog just talked!"

"Don't be silly dear, dogs can't talk" I stuffed my fist into my mouth to keep from exploding from laughter, Abir had learnt his lesson and remained quiet as I picked and weighed different fruits and vegetables.

* * *

"Hey, un" I looked up from where I was sitting as a shadow fell over me,

"Hi, finished your business?" I asked as Deidara took a seat beside me on the fountain, he grinned and nodded,

"Where's the mutt? Un"

"Over there" I pointed to under a small tree where the black dog was lying and chewing happily on his treat, the other dogs were avoiding him like the plague and had crowded to the opposite side of the park,

"What's he got? Un"

"A bone"

"Huh…" he smirked and strolled casually towards the tree where Abir was; I rolled my sky blue eyes and rested my chin in my palm, when the blond was close enough to the dog, who still hadn't noticed him, he swiped the bone and sprinted back to me, waving it mockingly, Abirs' hackles spiked and he flew across the grass to the man, at the last second Deidara threw the bone over the fountain and into a group of dogs who had been playing together, unfortunately he didn't get off the hook so easily as Abir ran between his legs and tripped him up "this is why I never wanted a pet as a kid!"

A few of the animals stopped and sniffed the object but when they saw Abir pelting towards them they cried and yelped before running back to their owners, he grabbed his treat and skulked back to me, lying at my feet he growled when Deidara came close "you should really stop teasing each other" I said quietly as I patted Abir on the head,

"But it's fun, un" Deidara argued,

"I've got some food" I steered the conversation away from something that might cause another argument "shouldn't we be heading out?"

"No, I booked us a room in a hotel, un"

"Ohhh. A hotel, as opposed to an inn? That's ritzy" I purred,

"I should think so, un" he tipped my chin and pecked my lips "and I got us one of the nicest rooms in the nicest hotel around"

"Oh? And how much did it cost?" he pressed his hand to my mouth and a finger to his own, I felt the mouth nibble my lower lip,

"Ah, ah. I'm not telling. But I think you should know they don't allow big dogs in the rooms, un" Abir's head shot up,

"Dummy say what now?" the blond cocked an eyebrow,

"Like I said, un, but don't worry mutt, there happen to be special kennels on the first floor, we'll put you in there for the night"

"Like hell I'm being stuck in a kennel like some common-"

"Mutt? Un"

Abir growled "guys…" I soothed "it's just for one night Abir, or do you want to go back to the Summon Village?"

"Nah, I'm sick of the village. Everybody kept saying you were dead; if I go back they'll want to know where I've been and who summoned me…And then I'll have to explain to them and then one of them would get summoned and then they'd tell on me and then they'd know where we are and then you'd beat me up and then-"

"Okay, un" Deidara snapped "we get it!"

"So I'll go in the kennel…But only if I get to keep my bone!"

"I'll make sure to tell them" I crossed my heart "and I'll also tell them that you don't eat dry food, cause I know you hate that stuff" he nodded in thanks and returned to chewing his bone while wagging his tail,

"He's kinda cute when he learns his place, un"

"Deidara!" I warned, he sighed,

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry! Un" I smiled and kissed his cheek; he blushed lightly which caused me to giggle. Abir belched loudly and Deidara kicked him "you have to ruin everything!" he hissed, the dog smacked his lips lazily,

"What's your point? I don't like you, so I'm going to let you have any tender moments with Akina"

"Damn mutt!"

"I liked Gaara better" Deidara clenched his fists furiously "that's where you got those scars on your arms right? He ripped them off?"

"He ripped **one** off! And that stupid Copy-Nin Kakashi tore off the other with some weird Jutsu, un, how'd you find out about that anyway?"

"I heard you and Akina talking about it the other night when she accidentally touched the tissue"

I frowned "Abir, don't tease him with my ex-boyfriends, especially Gaara, he really hates him"

"Don't say his name! Un"

"See?" I said, the hound chuckled,

"If you're so jealous of her exes doesn't that mean you're insecure?" his question was answered by his bone being kicked into the street "hey!"

I rubbed my forehead "for goodness sake, can't the two of you just get along? Why do you have to goad each other so much?"

"It's amusing, un" the man shrugged, I sighed and looped my rope around Abir's neck when he returned, the bone clenched tightly in his jaws so Deidara wouldn't take it again,

"So where's this hotel?" I asked, standing up and grabbing the bag of food,

"On the other side of town, un"

"Do they do dinner there? Or should we find somewhere beforehand?"

"No, even better! Un, room service! You can order whatever you want!"

"Ohhh, do they have Unagi?"

"Maybe, un" he smirked "and if not, I'll go buy you some!"

"Wud oou y me a wake?" Abir chirped, though it was muffled by the bone,

"What did he just say? Un"

"Could you buy him a steak?" I repeated,

"Hell no" I tutted and turned my head from Deidara "I'm not buying him a steak, un" Abir and I stared up at him with watery eyes "no!" we pouted "NO!" our bottom lips began to shake "oh…Fine! He can have a steak! But he doesn't get to choose how it's cooked!"

"He likes them raw!"

"**Then it's being cooked**! Un" I saw a vein bulging on his forehead and began to giggle.

* * *

Rose: That'll end that chapter, on a quote again! I have to stop doing that…But it's just too funny!

Review please!


	41. Fireworks: Part 1

Rose: Hiya, wow, forty chapters done already. I can't believe how far this thing has come!

Disclaimer: OC's and Plot.

* * *

It was dusk before we decided to check out the hotel, we'd spend most of the day playing with Abir in the park or inspecting all the shops that the town had to offer,

The one Deidara had picked was defiantly expensive looking; it was a creamy colour with a marble fountain out in the front, it looked to be made of three towers that had been joined together with the central one being a little bigger and more prominent, embedded in the wall of the middle tower was a large golden 'R'

"What does that stand for?" I asked, craning my neck to see it as we entered through the sliding doors,

"It's probably the initial of the owners' surname, un" as we approached the desk the blond stopped me "I'll go get our room key whilst you put the mutt in the kennel, it's over there. The reservation is in your name" he pointed to a door beside the front desk where women and men in overalls were exiting in and out of the swinging doors,

"I'll be back in a minute" I replied, coaxing Abir over to the doors, inside there were a few people hurrying around, giving sponge baths to dogs of all breeds and sizes or combing their fur or feeding them treats, one of the men sided up to me,

"Can I help you?"

"Um…Yes, I have a reservation, Michiko for my dog Abir" he nodded,

"Ah yes, and where is the little rascal?"

"Right here" I motioned to the big, black hound who was gnawing absentmindedly on his bone,

"Ah…Well…Isn't he a darling?" the man forced out "may I ask what breed he is?"

"He's a...Highland Wolf Hunting Dog" I shrugged, Abir cocked an eyebrow an me and I knew if he could speak he'd be telling me that what I'd said was the worst lie ever,

"I've never heard of a…Highland Wolf Hunting Dog" the man sneered lightly,

"Oh it's a very rare breed, so rare in-fact that even some of the world's top breeders don't know about them" he raised his eyebrows at this,

"Well, in that case we'll be sure to take good care of…Abir, was it?" I nodded and handed him the rope-lead, he frowned,

"This is his kennel lead" I lied again "it's so he knows he has to be on his best behaviour"

"Of course, Madame. Is there anything of importance we should know about?"

"He doesn't like other dogs, or rather, they don't like him…Oh, and don't try to take the bone away, he **will** bite your hand off and he has a well-done steak being sent down at eight 'o' clock for his dinner" he nodded and led Abir down the corridor of roomy cages and around the corner "be good!" I ordered as a last-second thought, he flicked his tail at me as he disappeared,

Stepping back out I met with Deidara by the stairs, he had both our bags over his shoulder and dangled the key above my head "just wait till you see the room, un"

"Why all the trouble for one night?" I giggled, following him up to the first floor where the lift was,

He grinned "you'll see when it happens, un" I frowned in thought as we stepped into it,

_What's going on tonight that he's all worked up about?_

"We're on the top floor, un" he whispered, I blinked and was about to ask why when the doors opened, we were half way up the middle tower and looking out into the hall all I could see were gold and cream coloured walls and royal red carpets, I gasped,

"Deidara this looks way to expensive for us! We should be saving the money, I've told you be-" he pressed a finger to my lips,

"Just enjoy the night, un" he ordered softly, I sighed and nodded, allowing him to remove his finger,

As we got further up the tower the lift slowly emptied until it was just us and finally it stopped at the top floor "we must be pretty high…" I whispered as the doors opened, the hallway was different on our floor than all the others, instead of gold and cream there was red and gold decorating the walls; I was so taken in by it that I forgot about Deidara, until he swept me up into his arms and carried me out of the lift, I wrapped my own arms around his neck to steady myself,

"Dei! What're you-"

"Carrying my new wife to our room, un" he grinned, I blinked,

"W…Wife?"

"Uh huh, these are the Honeymoon Suites, un"

"You got us a Honeymoon Suite? B…But we aren't married! We only pretended to be and that was for like…Five minutes!"

We reached the door at the end of the hall, number four-one-four-one, and Deidara slipped the key into the lock and kicked it open, inside was an explosion of red; the walls, the cushions, the bed-sheets, everything was coloured red and trimmed in gold, stepping further in the blond placed me on the bed before returning to lock the door,

I stood up and had a look around, the bed was a large king-size in the middle of the wall opposite the door, with two huge bay windows either side that led out to a long balcony, at the foot of the bed was a loveseat and a small armchair with a coffee table and a fireplace overlooking them,

On the right side of the room was the bathroom that was once again decorated in red, this time red marble, there was a round corner tub and a separate shower that looked big enough to be a tub on its own!

Backing back into the room I flopped down onto the loveseat "Deidara this is way too much for just one night!"

"Nonsense, un" he placed the key on the coffee table along with our bags before he decided to root around the walk-in wardrobe beside the bathroom "hey look! Handcuffs!" he shouted, pulling them out of one of the drawers "and anklecuffs too!"

"Put them back!"

"Don't worry" he scoffed "I wasn't going to ask you, un"

I stood up again and made my way to the bathroom, rubbing my forehead as I went "I'm going to take a well needed shower" I sighed, he nodded before turning and moving back to our bags where he began to search for something inside his,

The shower had been wonderful, I felt so fresh when I stepped out of it and smelling like summer-fruits; with a little effort, as I hadn't done it in a while, I expelled hot Chakra from my pores to dry my skin and hair, leaving it fluffy and curling slightly, I glanced around for my clothes, as I was sure I'd left them on the toilet, but they weren't there, instead there was a pile of red and black and on closer inspection I saw it was a night-gown with a small kimono,

The red silk gown was the perfect size as I slipped it over my head; it had string-straps and was a little too low cut for my tastes, but thankfully it reached my ankles so I used the knee length, black silk kimono to cover my top half, stepping out of the bathroom I frowned at the blond who had his back to me in the armchair "I suppose this was your doing?" he didn't turn around but replied all the same,

"Yup, un. Bought it especially for you just today. Don't you like it?"

"It's…Nice, not something I would have picked out myself…But it's okay I suppose" I padded over and stood behind him, I could see he had a matching kimono but as to what was under it I couldn't tell "don't you want a shower?"

"I'll have one later" I wrapped my arms around him and kissed his cheek; he raised a hand and stroked mine "what's this about? Un"

"I never thanked you"

"For what? Un"

"For protecting me from Pein. For being so gentle with me that night…For running away to keep me safe, even at the risk of your own life"

"I never wanted to be in Akatsuki anyway, un" he muttered "and you know I'd do anything to keep you safe" I nodded "so, it's almost six, what do you want for dinner?"

"Whatever" I answered "I'll have what you're having" he picked up the small (red) phone and dialled down to the kitchen while I moved to the bedside tables and picked up the book that had been left on one of them before settling down on the loveseat to read,

It was some kind of sappy romance that even Sakura and Ino would have found to be too much, I'd barely gotten past the first chapter before I decided that it was too much and dumped it on the table by our bags. Deidara had since moved onto the loveseat and was sitting on his side, facing me with his right arm draped over the back of it, I sighed,

"I wonder how Abir's doing…"

"He'll be fine, un, he has his bone, he has a steak with his name on it, and he's away from me! It's a dream come true for the mutt" I laughed,

"I wish you wouldn't call him that"

"Well tell him to stop trying to kill me and I will, un" I chuckled and he smirked before edging closer, I caught the movement and blushed as I clenched my thighs together, suddenly wishing the first thing I'd done after leaving the bathroom was find some underwear,

His fingers tickled my exposed toes, I wriggled them whilst trying to stifle my giggles and moved them out of his grasp, when I did he leaned over and kissed me, pushing the gown up to my hips and untying the kimono to slip it off and toss it to the floor, I gasped into his mouth and he licked my lips, at the same time his hands grasped my thighs and squeezed, making me moan. He pulled back and lifted my leg into the air so he could kiss my ankle before he nipped and sucked his way down to my inner thigh "Deidara…We shouldn't…!"

"Why not? Un" he asked, peeking up at me from over my stomach, I blushed,

"Well…Because, we…I mean…Ah…"

"You need to stop that virginal act of yours, un" he cooed "you have no idea what it does to me…" my cheeks turned so red I thought I might be able to camouflage myself with the wall, I averted my eyes towards the window hoping to see the sunset but it was mostly over now, there were only a few streaks of pink left in the sky,

I arched my back when I felt him kiss a little closer to my core "ah…Deidara!" his tongue peeked out and slithered inside "we really shouldn't…!" he hooked my legs over his shoulders and started to nip; I let out a high pitched moan as my fingers dug into his hair, to push him away or pull him closer I didn't know "Dara! Oh…" his hands held onto my thighs and the mouths kissed the soft skin,

**Knock!**

Deidara ignored the door and continued with what he was doing, when whoever was on the other side knocked again he turned to look but still didn't get up, finally after the third time he stormed over to the door with a snarl "the one time room service is fucking punctual! Un" he yanked the door open and glared at the waiter,

"Your dinner Sir" they said, handing the tray over, the blond took it still with the scowl painted on his features; I meanwhile had lowered my gown and was sitting with my back straight, trying to keep my blush under control "is there anything else?"

"No, un"

"Are you sure, Sir?"

"Yes I'm sure, un. I can guarantee that if I need anything I will call you and make sure to repeat that message. Goodbye!" he slammed the door harshly and locked it, on his way back to the seat he dumped the tray on the table, spilling some of the food but he didn't notice or care "now where were we?" he asked in a much softer tone, I rubbed the back of my neck with a frown "what's wrong?"

"My neck, it…Uh…Hurts…I think I slept funny!"

_Aha…Smooth!_

"Well come here, un, I'll give you a massage" I remained where I was sitting, Deidara, always undeterred by my unwillingness, dragged me into his lap at the other end of the loveseat, I started to protest when his thumbs dug into the base of my neck "I can feel a knot" he stated, I arched my back and took a sharp intake of air as I closed my eyes,

"Ah…That feels good…" I whispered,

"Hands of an artist, un" he joked "or did you forget?" I felt his long fingers slip the straps off my shoulders so he could reach lower down my back, I bit my lip to prevent the moan I was holding from escaping,

His palms rubbed my shoulders before sliding down my spine, leaving a sticky trail of saliva as they went, my lips parted and the loud noise I'd been trying to hold back was released, Deidara chuckled and pushed the gown right down to my elbows, I let out a small shriek and clapped my arms over my now bare chest "Deidara!" he pressed my back against his front and ran his hands over the dip of my waist, I moaned his name again as he pried my hands away and held each mound "oh…Oh…"

The mouths began to suck as his fingers massaged the flesh "like that? Un" he breathed, I couldn't curve my back anymore if I tried as I struggled to make his hands hold more me, my backside was pressing into his lap and I felt something hard rise up,

"Ah!" I cried and started to wriggle "why do I keep letting you do this?"

"Because you love what I do to you, un" he answered before pressing his lips to my neck "you love it when I hold you! You love it when I cup your breasts! You love it when I bury myself inside you!"

I jumped when he released my breasts and attached his hands to my hips instead; then his hot, wet tongue started to move about my back and his teeth nibbled my shoulder blades "ah…Deidara!" I cried, clenching my fingers into the cushions, he groaned,

"I love it when you say my name! Un"

"We shouldn't! We shouldn't!" I repeated, but every time I said it, it became quieter and a little less sincere,

He gripped my arms and twisted me around, I barely had a chance to realise what was happening before we were locked in a kiss, my hands dug into his hair and held on tightly as he trailed down and took a pearl between his teeth, I buried my nose into the top of his head and panted as the nub was rolled and twisted, and every time it was my moans became a little louder,

My gown was pushed up to my waist and Deidara helped to position me, he was wearing a pair of red boxers and through them I could feel 'him'

"Dei…Dei wait" I whispered "I…Don't think I'm ready"

"You never know until you try Petal, un" with his fingers clasped around my wrist he guided my hand down to his underwear, I had to lift myself up to slide it down his legs but eventually it found the floor, he then placed my hands at the tie of his kimono and to distract me he kissed me hotly,

Slowly that article was removed too and I pressed my palms to his chest, he moaned into my mouth and I gasped, quickly I placed them on his arms instead, rubbing the scar tissue gently but that only caused him to groan loudly,

I broke away and turned my head to hide my blush, crossing my arms at the same time, he chuckled lightly "you're so cute, Petal, un. Pretending to be all shy and innocent even when you know that in the end you'll end up enjoying it. Not that I mind your Madonna act but sometimes I crave for the little tiger I know is inside you" I panted in response to his words and he raised his hips and rubbed against me; I slipped my knuckle into my mouth and bit down on it hard,

He raised them up and pushed the tip in; I fell forwards and used his shoulders as support "more…" I heaved "I want more!"

"Lower yourself onto me, un" he was still holding my hips and he used them to guide me down until he was fully inside me; he threw his head back and dropped his jaw, I leaned over and grabbed his hair tie, pulling it out of his usual style, the band was tossed into the room somewhere,

I grabbed onto his golden locks and buried my nose into them again, breathing in his earthy scent "what will Abir think when he sees us tomorrow?"

"Whatever he wants, un" he tangled his hand into my hair and nuzzled my chest, I moaned and gasped when he shifted beneath me and on instinct I started to raise myself away from him and drop myself over and over,

"Oh Dei…"

"Akina…" I heard him breathe "there's something I've mean meaning to tell you, un"

"What is…Ah…It?"

He grit his teeth and moaned loudly "I L…L…AH! Faster, go faster! Un" I forgot about what we were trying to talk about and complied with his order,

There was a thin sheen of sweat that was beginning to coat my skin by now "Dei…I don't think I can…Go much longer!"

"Hold it! Un" he ordered through gritted teeth "hold it and it'll be so much better!" my lungs were starting to hurt as I was breathing so hard that they couldn't take in the air I needed,

I cried out as my walls clenched and a moment afterwards a familiar hot sensation ran up my belly "oh…Oh God!"

"Hah…" the mouths on the blondes' hands tore away chunks of fabric from the loveseat, he too was covered in sweat though on his lightly tanned skin it looked so arousing whilst on my pale completion I thought it looked odd,

I lifted my head we locked gazes; he was panting though not as heavily as me and "Dei…" I whispered,

"Are you okay? Un" I nodded "good" he held me up and slipped out of me, I let out a breath at the shock of cold air that hit me before slumping by his side, he laughed and forced himself up onto his feet where he turned and faced me,

I had returned my arms to my chest in a bid to hide myself now that the adrenaline had died down, but it didn't do much good as I was yanked up off of the seat and into Deidara's arms where he proceeded to kiss me, I pressed back with just as much force and tied our tongues together, I never wanted it to end but eventually I had to pull back for air and I blinked tiredly up at him "I think I need a rest…"

"You always want to fall asleep after the first round, un" he smirked and tugged me closer "now why don't you remove this lovely article so we can continue…Or do you want me to rip it in a flurry of passion like I did with your clothes the other two times?" I flushed and turned my back to him so I could drop my arms, the silk floated to the floor and I stepped out of it "turn around, un" slowly I twisted my body, head first, then chest, then hips and lastly my legs "beautiful…My Little Muse has finally become a Masterpiece" he purred,

"Masterpiece?" I chocked out,

"Your legs are the exact length for wrapping around my waist, un, your hips are so small but when naked they look curvy and tantalising, your waist dips in like an hourglass and your breasts are the perfect size for my hands" I was blushing again,

"So…I'm perfect for you?"

"More than perfect, un, also the way your hair curls and falls over your shoulders to hide your chest and cascades down your back towards your ass teases me, the way your eyes sparkle and your nose twitches when I'm inside you…The way your soft, lush lips press against my own when we kiss. It all drives me wild…"

"Are you perfect for me?" I asked, he stepped closer and took both my hands in his,

"Maybe…" he answered huskily "what do you like about me? Un"

"I…I like your hands" I flushed "I like how your long fingers dance across my skin and the way the mouths kiss me, I like how your hair frames your face when you're above me and I like the way your eyes cloud over when you look at me"

"What about my body? Un"

"Your arms"

"What about them?"

"I…Like it when you hold me in them, and I don't mind at all when the scar tissue touches me, I like how sweat slides down your neck and between the muscles on your chest and I like the feeling of your abs when they're pressing against my stomach and-"

"And? Un" my eyes flickered down to what lay between his thighs, he caught the movement and smirked,

"I…Like it when you hold my hand" I quickly said, the smirk fell into a smile and I could tell he knew that that wasn't what I was going to say,

"I've learnt something about you Akina, un. I've learnt that it takes a certain criteria to get you in the mood, but once that criteria is reached you don't mind letting go…" he slid an arm under my knees and the other around my shoulders and held me up "I've also learnt that you really love a romantic scenery" he draped me across the bed and used his elbows to hold himself above me before covering my mouth with his.

* * *

Rose: Okay, in-case you can't tell by the title…This is the first part of a two part scene,

Review please!


	42. Fireworks: Part 2

Rose: Okay, time for the second half of the sexy scene!

Disclaimer: OC's and plot!

* * *

Deidara's touch was setting my skin alight; his hands moved to different parts of my body and stroked and pinched, his mouths created little hickeys across my legs and stomach whilst my arms were wrapped around his back,

"Under the covers!" I gasped in embarrassment as he groped my behind,

"No! Un, I want to see you"

Our naked forms were pushing and rubbing against each other, making us moan; my ankles locked themselves around his waist when I felt him tease my opening with his tip, I gasped his name in a breathy groan and dug my nails into his spine, forcing him to arch himself,

"Akina…" he panted, staring down at me dreamily, I blinked back with half lidded eyes and pulled one of my hands to twirl a lock of his hair, I noticed his had grown too, where it once reached his shoulders it was now halfway down his back and he also had split-ends,

"I told you I liked it when your hair framed your face" I whispered, he smiled devilishly and pressed his lips to mine, it was the hottest kiss of my life! Our tongues were tangled and our mouths were pressed so tightly together I feared they might bruise, Deidara pulled back first and there was left a string of saliva in his wake; but not a second passed before he was sucking my neck and one of his hands slipped between my thighs and inserted a couple of fingers which he began to curl and uncurl inside me; I kissed his jaw and fluttered my eyelashes against his cheek just before I inhaled sharply "Dei…"

"Shhh" he purred and I felt him begin to pump his hand, sometimes the tongue flicked out and caused me to wriggle, I curved my back but just before I climaxed he stopped and began to lick his fingers, I whimpered quietly but he silenced me with another kiss, when we pulled away for air his hands gripped my knees and opened my legs wider, I heaved gently and raised myself to make it easier for him "ready? Un"

"Yes" he pushed in until our hips met, I gasped and pulled him down to lie on-top of me "ah…" his thrusts were erratic and hard,

Opening my eyes I stared over his shoulder to see myself staring back at me!

_The ceiling is a…Is a…MIRROR!_

Deidara's head was buried in my breasts, licking the scars mostly; one arm was under my right thigh to raise it up and the hand gripped my hip while he rested his right arm beside my head to support himself, his broad chest covered my body so I was unable to see the image, but my legs were bent high and I saw and felt my toes curl into the covers, my long white hair was spread above my head and his own blond was hanging over his shoulders and sticking to his back where the sweat had collected, the muscles shifted and contracted as he moved; I blushed deeply and saw it spread down to my chest, my right hand was on his shoulder and the other was holding the back of his head,

_Is that what I look like…When we have sex? Oh God I look so embarrassing!_

"Deidara…" I gasped "there's a mirror!" he stopped and turned his head, when he caught sight of what was flustering me so much he snickered,

"That's hot, un. Are you watching me pleasure you?" I bit my lip and he returned to what he'd been doing without waiting for my answer; he started to raise his hips higher and my eyes widened, he was doing it on purpose!

I couldn't tear away, I was mesmerised, I had to keep watching the scene above me and excited me so much that it didn't take me half as long to release with a hearty, high pitched moan, he chuckled above me and continued his movements. He allowed himself a release soon after me and groaned deeply whilst kissing any reachable inch of skin, along with the crystal between my breasts,

"Dara-"

"My turn, un" with a low groan he grabbed me and rolled us over, my hands fell to his chest and his held my waist, he glanced past me to the mirror "I want to watch this…" he whispered, I flushed deeply and clenched my eyes shut; his hands kissed me as they crawled up my back to cup my breasts "c'mon then…Pleasure me Akina. Do what you did on the sofa" I started to raise my body, dragging it over his as he withered under me "that's a really sexy view, un"

"Ah…Don't…Please don't look at the reflection!" I begged "it's so embarrassing! I look silly!" he laughed,

"That's not what I'm seeing, un" he pulled his arms back and crossed them under his head "are you going to finish?" I continued my ministrations as he closed his eyes and let a moan slip past his lips; I bent down and dragged my tongue over his pectoral to his nipple where I began to suck and nip before kissing the sewn up mouth over his heart, he set his jaw and tensed his body, close to fulfilment as I teased the sensitive area "ah…" he bucked his form under me and I felt him shiver inside me, it was the first time he'd been first! I didn't know whether to continue but the blond pushed me off and grabbed my arms,

"But I didn't-" he cut me off with a short kiss,

He pulled me up onto my knees and twisted me so my back was to him before pushing me forward so my hands were resting against the wall above the pillows; I craned my neck to look back at him to watch him position himself "I want to be so deep inside you that you never think of anyone else, un" he growled "so deep you'll only think of me! So deep that whenever you look at me you'll become wet at the very memory!"

"W…What're you going to do?" I asked, I was answered when he filled me with one hard thrust; I gritted my teeth and hissed through them as I scraped my nails across the wallpaper,

Every movement caused me to bounce and jerk, the mans hands found my breasts and squeezed them hard and allowed the mouths to suck and nibble, his own mouth was scraping his teeth along my neck, and I shivered when his tongue dragged itself across my shoulder,

The sensation in my belly was like a flaming coil that was slowly tightening, Deidara had never been so deep inside me, I swore I could feel him pressing against my cervix and his balls were slapping against my backside "oh…Un" he sunk his teeth into the joint of my neck and shoulder as he gave a slight shudder,

"Dei…Dei, you don't know how good that feels!" I panted,

"I think I do, un" he secured an arm around my hips which forced my body into more of an 'L' shape to allow deeper penetration,

"Hah…Why are we…Oh…Doing this?"

"Because we…Ah…Love it, un" he growled again,

"But…We should…Mmm…Keep moving!" I replied,

He gripped my breast tightly to stop me speaking "we are moving! Un" he laughed and thrust ferociously, slamming me flat against the wall and grinding my chest into it; I let out a scream and clenched around him,

He flopped back onto the mattress and held me by the hips with my back to him "Dei…Dei no more!"

"Oh there's lots more! Un" he bucked under me, I leaned over and tugged on the covers,

"Deidara I'm so tired! Please let me rest!"

"No, no…Not yet, un, not yet!" I let out a whine "you sure you want me to stop?" he lifted me up and pulled out,

"No! No don't stop now!" I pleaded, he sniggered,

"If you say so, un" I turned myself so we were facing each other, at the same time he sat up and shifted his legs so that they were under him and held me close, I wrapped my legs around his waist and tossed my head back, he kissed my throat,

I twisted my neck so I could see the clock on the bedside table, it was eight 'o' clock "the foods cold by now…"

"You say the weirdest things during sex, un" I heard the male chuckle "but if you're really so hungry I have something you could eat" I flushed,

"No, I'm fine!" he smiled against my skin "but how long do you intend to keep us like this?"

"As long as it takes, un, think you can stay awake without my help?" we were now stationary in the middle of the huge bed,

"Why do I need to stay awake?"

"It's part of the surprise, un"

"So we're only doing this to prevent me from sleeping?" I swallowed the lump that had formed,

"Well…That's one reason, un"

"What's the other?"

"If you can't figure it out, un, then I don't see the point in telling you" I gasped when he suddenly began to move again, I raked my nails down his back leaving red marks and drawing blood in a few spots, Deidara hissed in response,

"Tell me!" I ordered, he rolled us over and began to pound into me, totally ignoring me and focusing only on our actions; soon I followed along and was raising my hips and lifting my legs higher,

"What was the question? Un" he teased, I tossed my head from side to side and moaned his name as he continued his ministrations.

* * *

Lying on-top of the covers on my side I panted heavily and blinked slowly as my eyelids were like lead, I felt the presence of the familiar blond slump down behind me and stroke my hip "not yet, un" he whispered and I could practically** hear** the smirk he was wearing,

"How much longer?" I asked breathily as he shifted my leg and pushed in from behind "ah…"

"Only about fifteen minutes, un"

"What time is it? I can't see the clock?" he ran his hand over my behind and squeezed before leaning over and taking a nipple into his mouth,

"You'll find out soon enough, un"

Though I was tired and aching, I could feel a pleasant buzzing sensation as the adrenaline in my body slowly began to die down as Deidara and I released for what felt like the hundredth time, yet he still didn't appear at all fatigued,

I was too shy to admit it out loud, but some of the things we'd partaken in had left me gaping; the man seemed to know every inch of my body, he knew the exact spots to hit to make me moan, the right position to lie in to make me climax harder and as the night wore on he slowed down and took the time to teach me about his own pleasure, I learned that he liked it when I dug my nails into his skin and that he didn't have a favourite position, but preferred those where he was in control, he also like it when I nibbled his earlobes and ran my hands through his hair,

He pulled away and kissed my shoulder "I think you'll need another shower, un"

"I now understand why you didn't take one earlier" I smiled, rolling onto my back to gaze up at him; he matched it with a warm smile of his own and pecked my forehead "will you tell me now? What all this was about?"

"You'll find out soon enough, un" he repeated, I pouted in disappointment,

"I'm so confused…"

"Do you have to talk so much?" he sighed and held me close to his form "just enjoy the moment, un" I closed my eyes and let myself become enveloped by him "Akina…"

"Yes?" I replied quietly,

"Tell me…You adore me, un" I blinked up at him,

"Why?"

"I just…Want to hear you say it, un"

I yawned "I adore you"

"Say like you mean it! Un" he pleaded, I yawned again but tried to hide it this time,

Raising my hand I ran it over his cheek and felt new stubble growth, back at the base he used to shave everyday, now he wasn't getting that luxury, he raised his own and covered mine, closing his eyes as he did and letting the mouth kiss me softly "Deidara" I breathed "I adore you" he shuddered,

"Beautiful, un" he opened his orbs, at some point I'd pushed his hair back behind his ear so both his eyes were visible "my muse…"

"What does it mean?"

"I don't know, un"

"Then why make me say it?" he breathed out heavily from his nose,

"Because I needed it, un" I decided not to push the subject and forced myself into a sitting position, my bed-mate copied me and sat cross-legged, I meanwhile tried to cover my chest in an attempt to keep warm; of my entire body I had to say that the area between my legs hurt the most as it was the most used muscle; it wasn't the same kind of pain as the morning after my first time, it was like a dull ache that was **almost** tolerable yet not quite there yet,

"I think…It's time to sleep" I said, stretching widely, I turned around to see the blond already climbing under the sheets so I followed suit, he motioned for me to edge closer and I complied; letting him hold me against his hard body in the same way a doting husband might hold his wife, I chose to ignore the fact that we were pretending to be just that, and I lay my head on his shoulder,

"Almost time, un"

I watched with curiosity as he flicked a switch that was located just above his bedside table, I hadn't noticed it before but then again I hadn't paid much attention to all the minor details in the room the past few hours,

Above the bed a section of the mirrored roof began to slide away to reveal a glass window that let us see the starry sky, I gasped "it's gorgeous" I gushed, Deidara kissed the top of my head,

"That's only part of the surprise, un"

"What?"

"Listen, un" he hushed me, lying in the silence I strained my ears and after a few minutes I heart faint shouting,

"Ten…Nine…Eight…Seven…"

"Oh my god" I gasped, clenching my hands into fists on Deidara's chest,

"Three…Two…ONE!"

There was an explosion of colour in the sky and I had to shut my eyes as it hurt so much, but the man holding me coaxed me into taking another look. There were fireworks of all kinds and colours being let off, they whistled and shrieked and popped and outside there were screams and calls of celebrations,

"Happy New Year" I whispered, slipping my arms around the blond,

_How could I have forgotten New Year?_

He chuckled "Happy Birthday, un"

"W…What?" I snapped my eyes open and leaned over to stare at him, he cocked an eyebrow,

"You forgot your own birthday? Un"

"I forget my birthday a lot!" I defended "These past few years I've always been busy! And now…With the running away…And…And the-" he cut me off with a tender kiss,

"Just enjoy the fireworks, un…And try to forget that anything I'd have made would have been far superior" I giggled tiredly, slowly drifted off to sleep in Deidara's arms with the celebrations ringing in my ears and the fireworks exploding through my eyelids.

* * *

Forcing my head up off of the pillow I blinked at the neon numbers on the clock beside my bed-mate, it was almost five in the morning. Sitting up I yawned and rubbed my eyes, Deidara let out another snore and rolled away from me,

I slowly slipped out of the duvet and fished around for my night gown, holding it up against my form I looked back at the slumbering blond. The New Year celebrations must have ended hours ago as there was only an eerie silence remaining; I pulled the silk over my head and moved to one of the bay window doors and stood out on the balcony,

_The sun won't rise for another hour or two,_

With a sigh I turned and leant against the banister, watching the curtains billow as cold air was blown into our room, I rubbed my arms but didn't return inside, I was content with arguing with my conscience,

_Abir is right…Why am I still with him?_

I bit my lip,

_I could leave right now…I have my Chakra…He's completely out of it…But where would I go?_

I could feel a warm wetness forming in my eyes and quickly tried to rub it away, turning my back to the window I took a deep breath,

_But he makes me feel…So…_

"I can't explain it" I whispered,

"Can't explain what? Un"

With a gasp I spun around and saw Deidara was standing in the doorway, completely nude, and rubbing the back of his head "nothing" I shook my head, he stepped closer and rested his hands on my arms,

"What're you doing out here? Un, you're freezing" I raised my eyes to stare into his cobalt ones,

"I was just…Thinking" I shrugged, he hugged me,

"C'mon, let's go back inside" his hand slid down my arm as he walked until it was clasping mine, when I didn't move he looked back in confusion,

"Deidara?"

"Hmm?"

"What makes me so special?"

He picked me up and carried me back into the room, kicking the door shut as he went; placing me back on my feet he cupped my face and kissed me "why do you want to know? Un"

"You…You could have anyone you wanted! There are girls out there who are far more beautiful than me! They're more-"

"Akina" he cut me off "why can't you understand? Un, in my eyes there is no-one more beautiful than you"

"But-" he pecked my lips again "you like girls who are, well, not like me! All your past…Um…Girlfriends, I suppose…I've heard Kisame and Sasori talk about them! They're dainty and beautiful and they couldn't wait to sleep with you! I'm-"

"Strong? Smart? Independent? Unique? Stubborn? Un" he grinned,

"I…I…"

"It's true you aren't like my usual girls, un. I used to like girls with an IQ of three and under" I couldn't stifle my giggles "but you are so much better than they can ever hope to be"

"But-"

"And yes I used to complain when you didn't sleep with me after five minute of meeting me, un, but I'm so glad you didn't. Because it let me get to know the real you…And I liked what I learned" he wiped away the tears that escaped my eyes "I adore you!"

"You don't know what that means!" I shouted,

He pulled me into his arms and held onto me tightly "I'll figure it out! Un" he promised, I let out a tiny sob just before I was pushed down onto the bed; the covers were tucked around me as Deidara climbed in beside me and kissed my eyelids, I gasped as the gown I was wearing was tugged down my body and tossed to the floor,

"Dei-"

"Akina, I was originally going to use this night to tell you how I feel…But it seems I've chickened out…I'm such a coward. So for the moment, un, let me **show** you how I feel…" he pulled my knees apart and slipped between them as he pressed his lips to mine; I moaned and let him embrace me again.

* * *

Rose: Aw…That was so cute!

Review please!


	43. Emotioal Breakdown

Rose: As I'm writing this I really should be doing my English essays…Oh well!

Disclaimer: OC's and plot,

* * *

Letting out a sigh and a smile I buried my face in my floral scented pillow, with a shiver I stretched out my arm and padded the spot beside me for my partner only to find it empty,

I sat up, hugging the sheets to my chest, and searched the room with my eyes for the blond but he was no-where to be found. My heart gave a jump as my first thought was that he'd gone, but then I shook my head and spotted his bag on the table where he'd left it the previous night and the sound of the shower hissing hit my ears,

I rubbed my forehead and chuckled at my stupidity, as I was the door to the bathroom opened and out stepped Deidara "what're you sniggering at? Un" he grinned, snapping my head up to stare at him I felt my throat close up, he had a towel around his waist and was using another to dry his hair; I flushed lightly,

"Ah…Nothing" I lied,

"Hmm" he sat down by my legs and reached out with one hand to stroke my thigh "have a good sleep? Un" I nodded and glanced over at the clock,

"Oh my God!" my eyes widened "it's ten 'o' clock! Abir's gonna kill me!" the Iwa-Nin continued to rub my leg,

"Calm down, un, we'll go get him later. Can't help it if you're tired and slept late" the blush on my cheeks extended to my chest, Deidara laughed "do me a favour? Dry my hair with that freaky Chakra thing you do"

"Sure" I shrugged and secured the covers around my body as he turned his back to face me and dropped the towel to the floor, I started running my hands through his locks, unpicking knots and slowly expelling hot Chakra as I did; the male moaned "you've got split ends, did you want me to cut it too?" he nodded and I stopped drying his hair so he could retrieve a Kunai from his pouch,

Carefully I began to trim away a few inches of hair so it was just below his shoulder blades, he ran his fingers through it and smirked "much better, un" taking the Kunai I flicked my own hair over my shoulder and did the same to it "hey!" he grabbed my wrist before I had even made the first cut "what're you doing?"

"I have split ends too" I explained, he frowned but let me finish, it was a dramatic change, from my hips to the small of my back I couldn't believe how much hair had been removed, he twirled a lock around his finger and removed the knife from my grasp to toss it into the room before pushing me onto my back "Deidara?" he ran his lips along my neck up to my

own "Dei-" he cut me off and started to push the covers away "you just had a shower!"

"Hmm" he moaned and began to suck on my breast, I tangled my hands into his hair to hold him in place "you like it, un" I felt him smirk,

"Ah…" he pried my knees apart "we shouldn't!" I cried,

"We aren't, un" he whispered before nipping his way down my stomach and dragging his tongue over my opening,

"Oh…" I panted "Dara please…"

"Please what? Un" he teased,

"D…Don't…S…Stop" I groaned, he chuckled and the vibrations caused me to shudder,

"Want me to finish? Un" I replied in a moan as he pushed his muscle inside, my chest began to heave and ache "I'll take that as a 'yes'" he purred "but what will you do in return?" I wriggled "the two of us in that river were quite fun…" he pulled away and I turned to gaze at him, he took my hand and pressed it to his towel where I felt a lump. My mouth formed an 'o' shape and I shyly looked away, he gripped my chin and forced me to look back "well? Un" sitting up I watched him lean back to rest on his elbows and raise his eyebrows up at me, slowly I peeled away the towel to reveal his member, my blush was reborn as I stared down at the thick swollen muscle "don't tell me you're embarrassed…Not after all we've done?"

"Um…Well, yes, a little bit" cautiously I ran the tip of my finger down his length and heard him give out a shuddering groan, I added my other fingers and wrapped them around it to slide them up and down, he threw his head back, it began to stiffen in my hand and I could feel it throb,

"Faster, un" the blond ordered breathlessly, I complied and watched as he clawed at the mattress in pleasure; I slid off of the bed and knelt between his legs before swiping my thumb over the tip and rubbing the vein "cheater" he growled,

"My hand slipped" I giggled, he chuckled and held onto the back of my neck,

"Whoops…So did mine, un"

"Wha-" my head was suddenly jerked down and I found myself with his member pressing against the back of my throat, I chocked and tried to pull away but he held me down, after a few seconds I stopped and rolled my tongue against it. He shivered in delight and loosened his grip on my hair so I could pull away,

I kissed the tip and licked down to its base before taking him in my mouth again and pumping my head up and down "I was…Ah…Only kidding, un" he moaned "you don't have to…Oh…Stay there" I held onto his thighs as I continued to lick and suck "Akina…I'm going to…To…" there was an explosion of heat inside my mouth which shocked me so much that I yanked my head back and coughed Deidara's release onto the carpet, he laughed as I wiped my chin and lips, I stood back up and straddled him, cutting his sniggers short "I thought you didn't want to do that" he whispered,

"Hmmm" I replied before kissing him, he wrapped his arms around me to press us together,

"The mutt is going to be mad, un"

"Uh huh" I sucked on his shoulder, making him purr, and threaded my hands into his locks "was your hair always this long?" I asked,

"When I was younger it was longer, un"

"How much longer?"

"Down to my ass, un" I smiled "I only did it to annoy my dad; after I joined Akatsuki I cut it a little shorter"

"Hmm" I kissed the corner of his eye,

"What did you do with my hair tie? Un"

"Somewhere on the floor" I shrugged,

"That narrows it down, un" he drolled, I giggled loudly as I pulled back a little "seriously though, we should be thinking of packing up…Never thought I'd say that with you on my lap!" I burst out in tinkling laughter so he groped me tenderly "though I did promise you I'd finish…" as he was speaking he slipped a hand between us and pressed it flat against my core so the tongue could flick out "I've used these hands for sex more than sculpting lately…" he mused when I arched my back and moaned,

"Remember when I said it wasn't fair you have three mouths?"

"Yeah, un" he grinned widely,

"This is what I was talking about…Oh…" the muscle was licking my walls and the teeth were gently nibbling my clit,

"You're so easy to please, un" Deidara stated as I let myself release "knew I should have waited to take a shower…" I stood up and used one of his discarded towels to cover myself,

"Are you coming?" I asked, looking back at him expectantly, he blinked in confusion,

"We don't have time, un"

"Care to help me make time?" my voice was low and sultry as I glided to the bathroom, looking back I beckoned with my finger; he seemed to understand now and quickly followed after me.

* * *

_I fell asleep again! DAMNIT!_

Cracking open my orbs I yawned and began to lift myself from the bed "don't move, un" I heard someone order, deciding to obey I flopped back down and focused on the half dressed blond sitting in the chair beside me,

"What're you doing?"

"Sketching you, un" he was using my finances book and one of the hotel pens, a small smile spread over my face,

I was lying on my stomach with the sheets down at my hips, my hands cushioning my head and my hair spread out over my back, Deidara had a kind of euphoric expression as he placed the finishing touches onto his drawing before showing it to me "it's beautiful" I said as I got up and searched in my bag for some clothes "we've lost so much time! You shouldn't have let me fall asleep!" I scolded when I caught sight of the clock, it was almost midday,

"What? Un, I exhausted you!" he answered cockily, I let out a groan of frustration and dropped the covers to pull on some underwear and wrap my chest, I felt his presence behind me but ignored him and yanked a shirt over my head, that is, until he stroked my hip,

"Deidara we don't have-"

"Where did you get this scar? Un" I looked down and saw his finger tracing the scar on my right hipbone; it wasn't large and it had mostly faded away as the years had passed "who gave this to you?"

I paused before answering, knowing he wouldn't like what I was going to say "the Shukaku" I said at last, his body tensed "during my first Chunin Exams, the Shukaku was released and he pinned me against a tree, the sand cut my hip when I tried to escape"

"Why does everything come back to that fucking Sand-Rat? Un" he snarled, I shrugged and finished dressing myself and packed away any belongings I'd removed from the bag, moving my left hand I expected to see a familiar flash of silver but there was nothing, a slight panic rose up from my stomach as I searched around the room with my eyes, seeing nothing I threw the duvet over and checked under the pillows, Deidara caught the rapid movements "what's wrong?"

"I've lost my ring!" I gasped, turning back to him "have you seen it? I know I had it when we came into this room last night-"

"Relax, un, I removed it when you were sleeping just now" I furrowed my eyebrows,

"Why?"

I watched as he dug around in his pocket and pulled out a small velvet box, the panic I'd felt for losing the ring was suddenly replaced with a whole different kind; I backed away and fell over the back of the loveseat as he came closer "Akina, un, I got you a better ring" he said softly, I swore I started to hyperventilate,

"No!" I said, he cocked an eyebrow "no, no, no, no!" I burst into tears "I won't! You can't make me!"

"Petal? Un"

I clenched my eyes shut and sobbed "I won't!" I repeated, he sat down beside me and gripped my shoulders,

"Won't what? Un"

"I won't marry you!" a fresh river of tears flowed down my cheeks as the idea flashed across my mind, he tilted my chin and kissed my eyes,

"Silly girl…You think I'd propose to you under such circumstances? Un" I weakly cracked my lids open to stare at him "we're on the run from Akatsuki…**Akatsuki**! We wouldn't have time to plan for it" he chuckled,

"So you aren't-"

"No, un. I'm not asking you to marry me" I released the air that my lungs had trapped,

"B…But the box…And the room…And-" he shushed me with his finger before opening the box; the ring was almost identical to my other one, only this one had a tiny, pale blue diamond etched onto it, I watched dumbly as the blond slid it onto my finger and kissed it,

"I bought this after our first night. I'd promised you I'd get you a new ring and I did, un. See? It matches your eyes, this was all for your birthday, Petal" I blinked through unshed water to take in the beauty of the little piece of silver,

"It…It's lovely" he used his thumb to brush away my remaining tears, the inside of this ring had something different written inside it, as opposed to 'beautiful' this one had 'masterpiece', it made me blush,

"Don't you feel silly for letting your imagination run wild? Un" Deidara joked, I nodded and dried my eyes with my sleeve, I sniffed quietly as I picked up my brush to neaten my hair, when I was done the blond kissed the top of my head "besides, we're only pretending to be husband and wife" I thought I heard his voice strain as he said the words "it would be stupidto **actually **get married… his tone of voice started out as humorous but then dropped into a bitter bark,

My stomach flipped "Deidara…" I started, he raised his head to address me but I stopped myself from continuing and pulled an apple from the bag of food I'd bought the previous day,

"What? Un"

I shook my head "um…The ring's perfect, thank you!" I kissed his cheek and threw my bag over my shoulder before I stood up and took a bite of the fruit, I handed one to the blond "c'mon, we better leave"

* * *

Abir was overjoyed to be reunited with us again, or more specifically, me. He literally dragged the carer along the ground so he could reach me quicker, I hugged him tightly and kissed his snout "you over-emotional fool" I said lowly into his ear, he licked my cheek before I stood up and took the lead from the bedraggled man "um…This isn't the lead he came in!" it was a fancy red leather one that matched his new collar and gold tags,

"Yes, the other, ah, lead 'broke' so we've replaced it at no extra charge"

"Um…Thank you" I said unsurely before handing him some money as a tip, I was sure it probably wasn't enough for the pain Abir had caused him but I wasn't about to hang around and push it "bye" I was also sure Abir had something to do with his 'broken lead' and his new fancy one but decided not to ask about it; the chances were he just took a liking to it and stole it from the shop then refused to return it,

Stepping out of the hotel the three of us made our way to the town gate, Deidara had decided it would be easier to fly, despite our last attempt with Abir he was still determined to try again,

The hound however, seemed very uneasy, I assumed it was merely because of the idea of flight but not more than five minutes from the village he turned and pounced on the blond, my grip on the lead broke and the two of them fell to the ground, Deidara had dug his fingers into the dogs chops to prevent him tearing into his face, though the lethal jaws snapped only inches from his nose "ABIR!" I screamed, grabbing onto his shoulders and trying to pull him away,

"HOW DARE YOU TOUCH HER!" the Houkou roared, even the man under him had to flinch at the tone of voice, it lowered to a growl afterwards "she smells so much like you I doubt even I could tell the difference from afar!"

"So what? Un" Deidara panted "we shared a room! We're bound to come out smelling a little of each other, not to mention that for the past** eleven** months she's been sleeping in **my** bed! She was sure to have soaked of some of my scent during that time!" it was a perfectly valid argument but Abir wasn't buying it,

"Shared a room, huh? That would be completely believable…If not for the over-powering reek of **SEX** coming from the both of you! You take me for an idiot?"

"Abir!" I shouted again "get off him right now! Otherwise I'll send you back to the Summon Village!"

"Go right ahead!" he challenged "send me back without due cause and I'll tell everyone where to find you!"

"You wouldn't! Un" the Iwa-Nin's eye's widened in fright,

"Oh I would…And don't think I'd leave out any details either!" the dog frowned "I'd even tell them you raped her if I had to! I'd do anything to make sure Akina is safe, even if it meant lying!"

"I'd never rape her! Un"

"Tell that to Tusunde! Whom do you think she's more likely to believe? Me? The criminal who kidnapped her Anbu Captain? Or the girl you've 'brainwashed'?"

"Abir stop it!" I called; tugging on his fur again "don't threaten him!" he pushed me away easily,

"Who initiated the sex? Who seduced who?" we fell silent "well?"

"I did, un" Deidara admitted, Abir's jaws snapped again,

"If you so much as look at her in a way I don't like, let alone touch her, I won't hesitate to rip your cock off and eat it in-front of you! Got that?" the blond locked gazes with him, red and blue clashed violently, before he relented with a nod, after a few more moments the dog backed away and waited for him to get up, when I went to help him though he raised his hackles and stared to skulk closer so I moved back,

With a grunt and a groan the Nin finally found his feet and reached into his clay pouches "we better get going before someone comes, un" he ordered breathlessly, moulding the lump into a bird, with a single seal it was a living breathing giant and like usual it swallowed our bags as we climbed onto its back, Abir shrunk himself down to the size of a tiny puppy and leapt into my arms to make the journey easier and so he could hide himself if he got scared,

I had trouble getting up onto the bird so Deidara grabbed my hand and pulled me up, Abir didn't like the contact and sunk his now tiny teeth into the mans hand, he hissed and cradled the limb "sorry" I muttered lowly,

"It's fine, un"

Even Abir couldn't argue with the fact that the man had to hold onto me during take off, but as soon as we were in the air he gave a warning bark when he didn't let go, the male began to mutter to himself and focused on steering the piece of artwork, I meanwhile sat down on the birds tail with the puppy in my lap. The flight was awkward and filled with tension.

* * *

Rose: Oh noes! Abir is going to mess everything up! Mess what up you ask? You'll have to wait and see! Haha!

Review please!


	44. Captured!

Rose: okay, I'm not sure when the next update will be after this one, I've got three English essays to do and some work for Sociology. I know I usually update weekly but I'm very busy, hopefully I will be updating next week but in-case I don't at least you know why.

Also to KataraUchiha...Your story will be up soon, there's only two pages left to write I swear!

Disclaimer: OC's and plot.

* * *

After a night and a day of flight we'd stopped to catch up on some sleep, up in the air I'd noticed that the forests below us had been becoming much denser and the towns and villages were few and far between, it made me think that we were possibly travelling south-east but the idea was quickly disregarded; Deidara wouldn't be stupid enough to head into Wind or Fire territory,

Sitting around the fire, the blond and I on opposite sides with Abir beside me, I stared across the flames towards him and he caught my eye and smirked; I turned away sharply with a blush. He was sculpting something with some of his clay, since we'd left Ame he'd only used a tiny amount of the stuff to make the two birds we'd used, I personally thought that, like the money, he should be saving it, instead he was using it to mould something that he would no doubt use outside of battle,

We both snapped our heads up at the sound of Abir snoring loudly, watching from the corner of my eye I saw Deidara stand and slowly edge his way around the camp towards me, I gulped every time the hound shuffled and the man froze, expecting him to wake up any second and maul him; when he was beside me he sat down with his legs crossed and carefully handed over his creation,

It was a flower, and if not for the fact that it was pure white I would have sworn it was real, I smiled and giggled quietly as I rolled it around in my hands "it's pretty" I whispered,

"Throw it on the fire, un" he ordered softly, eyes darting to the dog that was still snoring soundly, I frowned "it won't blow up" he chuckled,

With a tiny yelp I tossed it into the flames, watching at it burnt up, just as the last bit vanished there was a kind of 'pop' noise and multicoloured birds fluttered from out of the smoke and disappeared into the air "that's beautiful" I complimented, he grinned and reached over to grab my hand, linking our fingers together tightly "that's what I like about you" I started "you're absolutely insane…" he laughed "…But at the same time you're so sweet"

"Really? Un" I cocked an eyebrow "I'm sweet?" I stifled my sniggers behind my hand, lest it wake Abir "know what I like about you?"

"No, what?" I smiled,

He leaned over and licked the shell of my ear "everything, un" he whispered lowly,

"Haha…You like how I can't stay still when I sleep?"

"Gives me an excuse to hold you, un" he budged a little closer so our legs were pressed against each other,

"You like how I sometimes get mad at you for keeping secrets?"

"Getting you mad is a hobby of mine; un…Makes the sex hotter!" I punched his shoulder roughly "now take your top off!" he joked as I was struggling to contain my laughter,

"You liked it when I summoned Abir?" I tested, his eyebrow twitched with the strain of keeping his grin in place,

"It made you happy, un" he forced out, I smirked and leaned over to lick his ear as he'd done to mine, he shivered,

"You like it when I tease you?" he let out a miniscule moan,

"Makes the moment better when it finally happens, un" he breathed and turned his head so our lips locked, one of his hands slipped into my hair to hold me at the back of my head while the other still clenched my hand, I pressed my hand to his shoulder and stroked his neck softly, he ran his tongue across my bottom lip and I parted them for him,

We hadn't kissed like this for weeks, the other night the kisses had been hot and heavy, this was slow, soft and sensual…Just the way I liked it!

With a jolt I pulled back as Abir let out a grunt, Deidara frowned "sorry" I sighed,

"Stupid mutt! Un" he growled "has to ruin everything…"

"He just always thinks he's right" I explained "he…Thinks he knows what's best for me" the blond snorted "somehow, despite what happened between us he has this idea that Konoha would take me back if you were arrested or something, I've tried to tell him that they wouldn't…But…"

"He's too stubborn, un"

"Exactly" I shrugged "comes with the species I suppose"

"Damn, stupid, fucking, idiotic mutt!" he continued on with another string of insults and curse words before I stopped him,

"Deidara…Where are we going?"

"I'd thought it was obvious, un, south-"

"No, I mean…Are we just going to run forever?"

He stared at me "you want to…Settle down somewhere? Un"

I nodded "we could find somewhere remote, somewhere there isn't any kind of Ninja Academy and where Ninja don't usually travel to" he turned to look at the fire,

"We could probably find somewhere like that, un. It might not be easy because I'm a wanted criminal…But if we find somewhere remote enough it could be possible!" I grinned "I'll admit, running isn't fun for me either…And I'm used to it!"

"Hey!" we yelped and turned to see Abir, wide awake and standing to attention,

"I can explain! Un" Deidara quickly leapt away from me but the dog didn't seem interested,

"I can hear something" he hissed "people, coming this way!"

"Hide!" I ordered, dousing the fire and leaping into the trees with the two males, drawing our Chakra in we peeked through the leaves as three Nin landed in our campsite, they were Anbu from Konoha and the tallest looked around "Kahn…" I breathed, recognising the ribbons on his arm, Deidara glanced from me to Abir and without a second thought he clamped his hands over the dogs' snout,

"Don't even think of alerting them! Un"

"No need!" we'd barely turned to the new voice when Deidara was knocked to the ground in-front of the other three Shinobi, the Nin grabbed me and leapt down to them with Abir in hot pursuit, growling, the three men advanced onto the blond, he reached for his pouches but was tackled and overpowered,

"Fuck, un" he swore, unable to use bombs as such close range and outnumbered he relented and fell lax in their grip, one held a Kunai to his throat and his eyes locked with mine,

"Don't hurt him!" I cried, they froze and twisted to observe me before one pushed up his mask,

"Akina?" Kahn asked, dropping his knife and rushing over to me, the one holding me released me just as my old teacher embraced me tightly, over his shoulder I watched Deidara's eyes harden,

I pushed away "Kahn…" he hugged me again,

"I knew you weren't dead!"

"No…I'm alive"

"We're a couple days from Konoha" he explained "but don't worry, one of our Anbu bases is only about ten minutes away" turning back to Deidara he sneered "bring him with us and take him to the interrogation room upon entry!" he ordered and the two Nin holding him nodded and dragged the blond into the trees and out of sight "we aren't taking any chances this time, armed guards and a Chakra blocking bracelet during the questioning!" he took my hand and led me towards the base.

* * *

The interrogation room was a simple white box room with a small table and two chairs, along one side was a one-way mirror, Kahn was inside the room with Deidara, I was on the other side, biting my nails and watching as they spoke,

"Why did you take Akina?" Kahn asked, eyes burning with hate, Deidara shrugged,

"I think you know the reason, un" he was playing coy, not giving anything away but at the same time he was revealing everything, I started to breath shallowly,

_Don't be stupid Dei!_

Abir was enjoying himself immensely, watching from beside me he was rooting for Kahn to loose control and attack the Iwa-Nin,

"Was it for information on Konoha? Is that what you wanted?" Kahn tried again, the blond leaned back in his chair and chewed on a lock of his hair,

"Well…We tried that, un, but she bit off her tongue so we decided not to risk it again"

"So what have you been doing to her these past eleven months?" I watched as my old friend's fingers raked across the table, though he appeared calm he was slowly giving in to his anger,

"Little bit of this, un, little bit of that!" Deidara smirked "I think you can guess…" the dark haired male across from him hissed through his teeth and I clutched at my shirt,

"Miss Michiko did you need a chair?" a hand fell on my shoulder to comfort me, I shook my head and brushed them off,

"Akina's medical exam shows that her…Hymen…Has been fully broken. We understand that it was partially damaged before she was kidnapped by looking at her previous medical exams but the only sure-fire way for it to have been completely demolished…Is through sexual intercourse. Did you at any point-"

"Have sex with her? Un" Deidara interrupted "oh yeah, tonnes of times" my eyes widened and I set my jaw in fear "she cried a little at first, tried to fight me, begged me to stop…But after about six months she just gave up and lay back" he yawned and placed his hands behind his head "have to admit it wasn't as fun after that"

Abir's tail froze mid-wag "did he just…" he started; I nodded and bit down on my knuckles to try and stop the tears in my eyes from falling,

_He's lying!_

"You admit you raped Michiko Akina?" Kahn panted, the ex-Akatsuki nodded and the Anbu punched the table, caused it to splinter "what about her uterus? The exam also showed that recently there had been something…There!" he didn't seem to want to use proper terms as if they were tainted or something,

"She got pregnant a little while ago, un. Well I couldn't have a kid wondering around could I? I might of gotten attached to it or something, then what?" the man laughed cruelly and it sent shivers down my spine, looking into his eyes I could see it was paining him to have to say everything "I had to get rid of it so I punched her the stomach to force a miscarriage!" I chocked and felt my knees buckle, someone slipped a chair under me at the last second; Abir was panting against the glass before he looked back at me,

"Why are you in Fire?" Kahn snarled,

"I was taking Akina to another base, it was becoming crowded in our old one and the weather didn't agree with her, I thought she might be more comfortable back in her own country"

"How nice of you!" my friend spat "take him away!" Deidara was dragged from the room,

"Hey wait a minute! Where's Akina? What have you done with her? Un" he resisted the guards,

"She's safe, far away from you. We'll return her to the village where hopefully she can overcome this trauma" the blondes eyes darted around the dark haired mans face,

"Oh I get it, un…You like her. That's why you're so pissed! Cause I got her first!"

"Don't be ridiculous!" Kahn roared "Akina was my student and she is my friend!"

"So it doesn't bother you that I got to feel her warm, tight, walls around me? Un, that I was the one whispering in her ear as she cried over and over again? That I was her **first man**?" Kahn let out a yell and punched Deidara, it was like slow motion as his nose flattened under his fist and blood flowed out freely; I clapped my hands to my mouth in shock and horror "haha! It does bother you!"

"LOCK HIM UP!" Kahn screamed before slamming his way out of the other door and entering the little room we were in "Akina…" he panted, seeing me crying "it's okay. He can't hurt you anymore" he knelt down and rubbed my back "come on, we'll find you a nice bed to sleep in and tomorrow we'll start on our way to Konoha" he gently helped me to my feet and walked me from the room and to some stairs,

"Kahn…What's going to happen to him?" I asked in a small voice,

"He'll be tried in Konoha; there'll be no waiting in a cell or trying to gather information. He'll be executed" he answered coldly, stopping outside one of the many doors he ushered me inside "get some rest" he ordered softly, Abir was already inside, waiting for me on the bed, I stepped inside slowly before turning back to my old Sensei,

"Don't…Please don't hurt him" I begged, he moved a little closer and cupped my face,

"Wow, he's really done a number on you" he sighed "I can't promise you anything Akina" I gaped "only that I will keep you safe from him!"

"Kahn you can't-" he cut me off with his lips; I took in a sharp breath before pushing him away "Kahn!"

"Akina I'm sorry…I know you were once my student but…Ever since you first became an Anbu I've felt…Different about you" he tilted my chin up and I saw his eyes move closer,

"No!" I stated firmly "I'm sorry Kahn! I just don't feel that way about you! You'll always just be my teacher and friend. Nothing more!" his shoulders fell,

"I understand" he whispered "but you've been through a lot, maybe after a few months when Deidara is gone…Maybe then-"

"No!" I said again "it has nothing to do with Deidara!" it had a little to do with Deidara but only because I knew he wouldn't go to Konoha quietly "it's because I…I…" I couldn't think of anything to say "I'm in love…With…With…GAARA!" I shouted finally "I'm still in love with Gaara!" I saw his face fall "I'm sorry Kahn"

"It's fine, perfectly understandable" he hugged me again "I'm sorry for kissing you…I'm just glad you're okay and finally returning home, your friends and sister will be so happy!" I returned the embrace before he left me and shut the door,

"You okay Snow-Top?" Abir asked as I curled up under the sheets, I shook my head,

"No, I'm not. Deidara lied, he lied to protect me…He did it so that I could go back, so that I wouldn't be killed!" I clutched the crystal hanging around my neck "why would he do something so stupid?"

"I don't know" the dog sighed, lying down beside me "because he's an idiot?"

"Yeah" I whispered "he is…"

* * *

**BANG!**

Leaping up in the bed I flew to the door and flung it open, out in the hall the Anbu were milling back and forth, out of nowhere Kahn was suddenly pushing me back into the room "stay inside!"

"What's happening?"

"Deidara escaped! He knocked the guards unconscious as they moved him from his cell to start the trek back home but we assumed that since he needed help last time that one Chakra blocking bracelet would be enough to hold him! When the one who put it on him was knocked out he was able to remove it. We should have been ready!"

"He's found the clay!" someone yelled from another hallway,

"WHERE IS SHE?" the shout was coming from down the stairs and a moment later there was a blast and screams as people tried to escape the heat by running back up to our level, out of the smoke Deidara slowly stalked up the steps and into view, his ice blue eyes moved from one person to the next until they landed on me, he started moving, dodging and punching anyone who got in the way,

_Why didn't he fight like that in the forest?_

Kahn shoved me back into the bedroom and slammed the door shut just as the blond reached us, I heard them fight from through the wood and waited patiently for one of them to open it, there was the echo of another blast and I heard wood groaning from other parts of the base "he's demolishing the place!" I cried,

The door was blown off its hinges and I saw a long haired, fairly muscular and handsome blond step through "miss me? Un" he grinned, wincing slightly and clutching his broken nose,

"Why…Why did you let yourself get caught if you were only going to escape later?" I screeched and started punching his chest, after a few moments he grabbed my fists and used them to pull me into a kiss which I responded to immediately "why did you do all this? You had me so worried!"

"I did it so that they'd know you were innocent, un" I blinked "if we'd just run back in the forest they would have added you to their 'kill' list; this way, it makes it seem as though I've kidnapped you again and that you've been the unwilling victim all this time"

"I…You would do all that? Just for me?" I panted, he nodded "and what if it had gone wrong? What if you hadn't escaped?"

"Then you would have gone home, un, been reunited with your friends and sister and carried on life as normal"

"Life will never be normal for me again…" I breathed; he smiled down at me and wrapped his arms around my form tightly,

From outside we heard groans as some of the Anbu began to regain consciousness "pretend that I've knocked you out, un" he ordered as he lifted me into his arms "you!" he turned to Abir "out the window, we'll meet with you about a mile away, in the direction of the village!" the hound, for once, listened to the man and was outside in a blink of an eye, I closed my own orbs and forced my body to become lax in his hold,

With a jerk we were flying through the corridors of the base to find the exit, all around us there were screams and shouts;

"He's got Akina!"

"He's kidnapping her again!"

"Someone stop him!"

In only a matter of minutes we were back out in the cool, outside air, opening my eyes I could see the sun was rising; Deidara didn't stop to let me run by myself though and carried me all the way to the rendezvous point where the Houkou was already waiting, from above us the bird we'd been using for transport, which had fled upon our capture, fluttered down to meet with us, it looked a little mangled and that was because Deidara's Chakra had been momentarily blocked, but it was still safe to ride,

Abir shrunk down so I could hold him again as the bird took off with us on board, in the distance I could see the sky in the direction we'd come was red with the fires the blond had created and the smoke rising into the air in thick clouds "where are we going now?" the dog asked, looking up at the man, he laughed,

"To Konoha! Un"

"What? You're crazy!"

"Deidara! We can't go there; by now they would have already received a hawk about your capture…And when they wake up they'll send another one saying you've escaped again! They'll be on red alert!"

"I'm not an S-Class Nin for nothing, un" he grinned "I'll get us in!"

"Why?" I shouted over the roar of the speeding air around us,

"You'll see when we get there! Un"

* * *

Rose: Ending on a quote again…Dunno why I keep doing that, oh-well…

Review please!


	45. Visitors

Rose: Hi everyone, thank you all for the reviews and the hits, I love you all!

Disclaimer: OC's and plot!

* * *

"Deidara we can't go to Konoha!" I tried to reason with the blond flying the giant, albeit, slightly mangled, bird "it's suicide!"

"I'll get us in and out in no time, un. Experience has taught me that a village always has lax security at night, and most villages only have one or two Nin watching the skies! We'll be in and out in an hour, maybe even less!"

"Why are we going there?" he turned back and grinned mischievously,

"It occurred to me a while back, un, that I never gave you a chance to say goodbye"

"What?"

"In that cell all those months ago when I made you make your choice, un, I never gave you the opportunity to say goodbye to Chika"

"So you're going to risk everything just so I can say goodbye?" I exclaimed angrily "give me control of this bird! We're not going to Konoha, we'll be killed!" he tussled with me for a few minutes which resulted in the bird swaying left and right but Deidara won and pinned me against his side with my arms secured,

"Now then, un, we're almost there. You'll have to point out your house to me!" I leaned over the side of the bird to take in the view of the village from the sky; even on Hokage Point the view wasn't as amazing,

"Wow…" I breathed, completely forgetting that I'd been against flying into the village, the sound of clicking drew my attention and I turned my head to see the blond using his scope to check the area,

"There're only three guys watching the skies, un" he chuckled "you'd think they would of learnt something after I attacked Suna!" I frowned slightly but he didn't catch my annoyance and discomfort "so which house is yours?"

I peeked back over but was unable to spot my house from so high and in such bad light, Abir sniffed the air "it's that one!" he jerked out a tiny paw "I can smell the faint scent of your sister in the air, it's mingling with others smells but I can pick it out! Go left and down, third one in the right row"

"This one? Un" Deidara asked as the bird landed on one of the roofs,

"It's actually the next one over but yeah, this'll do" Abir hopped down and returned to his usual size, I stepped towards the edge and looked out over at all the houses,

"I feel like I haven't been here for years" I whispered, the Iwa-Nin came up behind me and dragged me onto my old roof, climbing down we slipped in through the living room window which was always left open,

It was exactly like I'd remembered it, all the furniture was the same, the kitchen was a little messy which caused me to frown, but then I turned towards the bedrooms and practically ran to Chika's door, pushing it open quietly I was expecting to see a lump in her bed, but there was nothing, stepping further in I glanced around at the posters on the wall and the pictures on her desk "Akina, un" I sighed,

"She's not here"

"Don't be so sure" Abir growled "smells like she's in your room" I gasped and rushed through the bathroom that connected the two rooms so that I was standing in mine, the walls were still pale blue with a wooden floor and white shag rug,

In my bed under the window I saw a shape move and let out a moan, slowly shifting closer I caught sight if my little sister in the covers; taking a seat on the mattress I brushed her hair away from her face and kissed her forehead, she muttered lightly before smiling. She hadn't changed at all! Her hair was still that same shade of pinkish-purple and I'll have bet anything that if she opened her eyes at that very moment they were still blue,

I was content with stroking her hair when I noticed a small blue book on the bedside table, a dairy…I wanted to know so badly what had been going on since I'd gone,

Without a second thought I grabbed the small book and untied the ribbon that was suppose to keep all the secrets hidden, there was no harm in reading it if I only read the comments that involved me, flicking it open my eyes greedily drank in the information;

_Tusunde says that I was missing from the village for almost a week, but the last thing I remember before waking up in the hospital was that blond guy running towards me while I was with Akina. According to her, the only villagers to go missing were us two and luckily no-one was killed, although Lune has had to retire, but I was the only one returned, no-one would tell me why they've taken my sister, a lot of people think it was to try and gain information on the village…But Kahn and Sakura, who's looking after me until Akina returns, think that there's another reason behind it._

_Akina has been gone for two months now, Tusunde said I should write in this thing everyday to vent my emotions, but for the most part I just can't work up the energy to write 'Akina still not home' everyday. There are rumours that she's dead, but her friends are quick to deny it, the searches are still going on around the entire Fire country, and when the Kazekage learnt what happened he send out his own people to search through Wind too! I knew he still liked her._

_Six months. The searches were called off two months ago, she hasn't been found and is thought to be dead, it was confirmed by Tusunde; she said if no traces are found within a certain time limit then the Nin is presumed to be gone. I finally learnt what Kahn thinks, he thinks that the guy who kidnapped her, Deidara he's called, took her because he likes her. He says that he flirted with her a lot and it's possible that…I don't want to write it here! It's bad enough thinking about what he said!_

_There's been a sighting! Naruto swears he saw Akina in the Land of Rivers chasing after the guy who'd kidnapped her! The same guy had recently taken the Kazekage as-well, or that's how the rumour goes I heard. He said that after the guy blew himself up he went back to where he'd seen her, but she was gone. Tusunde has called the searches back on, it's possible she's still alive but no-one can think of a reason why she'd be in River. Unless there's a base there and that's where she is! The Kazekage called back his own searches when he'd recovered._

I let out a sigh of relief, at least Gaara was okay.

_Kenna was killed, by Deidara, and Akina has been confirmed to be alive and it's possible she's pregnant…By him! Some of the Anbu who escaped from the fight and returned home said that Deidara had confirmed it, he denies raping her though (I hate writing that…The thought of my sister and him…It makes me sick!) but everyone knows that's the only way he could have gotten Akina pregnant. _

_New Year was no fun without Akina._

I finished reading the last entry with tears flooding my vision as I turned back to my little sister, quietly sleeping and believing that all this time I've been the innocent victim, I felt so disgusted with myself! There were times when I'd been with Deidara and she had never even crossed my mind! When all this time I'd never left her mind,

Picking up the pen beside the lamp I turned to a blank page and began to write;

_Please, you're probably wondering about all that's happened to me, but I don't have the time to write it all down, I'm not going to confirm or deny the information that Kahn has collected because I know it won't make a difference, just know that I'm safe and unharmed. You won't find me, by the time this has been read I will be long gone with him. I love you all, especially you Chika, but you have to forget me because you're only hurting yourselves!_

Placing the book and pen back on the table I watched as the door opened and the blond man and dog stepped through "hey, un" he greeted and moved closer "so this is her?" he gave a tiny chuckle as I nodded "I never really took a good look at her last time, she's cute" he knelt down beside the bed and kissed her forehead like I had done "think she'll have ever accepted me as a brother-in-law?" he grinned, I smiled,

"Once she got to know you" I wasn't sure if I was lying or not as I didn't have any real proof about how she'd react to him in reality, vague diary entries weren't the best indicator,

"Are you going to take anything with you?" Abir asked, I thought for a moment, biting my lip in the process before standing up and searching the wardrobe silently, I dodged into the bathroom and returned wearing black Anbu leggings and a tight white sweater, I then swapped my shoes for some black Nin sandals and placed my previous outfit in the drawers,

On the desk I saw my headband, picking it up I held it tightly in the palm of my hand as I searched through the pictures, my mask had been lost during the attack on Konoha and as a Anbu I hadn't needed to wear the headband so it was a relief that I could take it with me, I was also glad to see my spare Kunai pouch and secured it to my leg. The only other thing I took was a photo of me and all my friends during Naruto's birthday a couple years before, slipping the items into my pocket I turned back to the guys "okay" I forced out "let's go"

"Gre…Ah!" Deidara couldn't finish his sentence as he doubled over "I knew that would come back to haunt me, un" he grunted, I rushed over and gaped when I saw a patch of red begin to soak through his shirt,

"When did that happen?"

"Your friend Kahn did it, un, before my interrogation. They bandaged it up but obviously it wasn't good enough"

"Why didn't you tell me?" I started leading him towards the sofa in the living room,

"I thought if I could ignore it, it would go away, un" he grinned sheepishly as I sat him down and lifted his shirt up, from where the blood was centring I could see that he'd been stabbed in the left side, I pushed the bloody bandages away and tenderly touched the wound, he hissed,

"I'll get something to clean it with!" I jumped up and rushed to the kitchen to wet some paper towels, with them I was able to clear away the dried blood and puss on his side as well as his nose which he had been able to reset himself, before using some spare bandages I'd found in a drawer to tie around him "you'd think with Sakura here that there'd be more medical supplies around" I muttered with distain, Deidara smiled at me and patted the newly tended to injury,

"Much better, un. Doesn't sting as much now"

From behind me I heard a creak and jumped up, both Abir and Deidara stiffened as the bedroom door opened and a figure stepped through, rubbing their eyes tiredly, the breath caught in my throat as my sister yawned and stepped further into the room we were occupying,

"We should leave!" the dog growled "if you don't want to get caught, that is!" we started edging to the window, but she caught the movement and her Ninja instincts kicked in; the sleepiness vanished from her form and she snapped around to face us,

Her eyes widened in shock, then softened and filled with tears "A…Akina?" she gasped; I gulped as she ran towards me and secured her arms around my waist tightly "it is you! I knew you weren't dead! I knew you'd come back!"

"Y…Yeah…" I stuttered, at a loss of anything else to say, I watched as she buried her face into my chest and cried; slowly I returned her hug and kissed her temple,

Footsteps from behind made me aware that the male was moving closer, Chika didn't look up until he was looming over my shoulder and observing her, she gave a little squeak and her grip tightened "it…It's **you**!"

"You said she'd like me, un" he joked, draping an arm over my shoulders, I shook him off and slipped one of my hands to the back of my baby sisters' neck,

"Akina, why is **he** here?"

"We're married! Un" he grinned, Chika whimpered and stared up at me,

"**Deidara**!" I bit out,

"Just kidding, un" she let out a sigh,

"You're here to stay right?" she asked "he's brought you back…Right?" the two of us fidgeted but didn't answer her, she instead poked my stomach "I knew you couldn't be pregnant, you wouldn't have done that..." I felt guilt well up inside me and struggled to force it down "but why are you with him? Why is here here?"

"I'm just here to say goodbye…" I replied "he brought me here"

"But-"

"We could take her with us, un" Deidara cut in "it's no big deal"

"Yes!" she begged, tugging on my shirt "take me with you! I've missed you so much, I-"

"No" I cut her off "I won't take you away from here!"

"Please Akina"

"What about your friends?"

"I don't need them if I have you!"

"No"

"Ple-"

"I said NO!" I shouted, she stopped and sobbed quietly "we aren't taking you with us"

"B…But why?" I never answered her because she sniffed before letting out a small yelp as I triggered a nerve in the back of her neck and knocked her out, catching her before she hit the floor I carried her back to my room and tucked her into the bed "I love you!" I whispered in her ear before shutting the door behind me,

Deidara had cleared up any evidence of us being here, the only proof now was the missing headband, photo, the diary entry and Kunai holder, no-one would notice a few articles of clothing that had gone missing or been gained "we really could take her with us, un" I turned to him thoughtfully before moving towards our exit,

"That would be selfish" I whispered and scaled out of the window and up the wall to the roof

"Be sure to take a good look, un. I can't risk bringing you back"

I did the exact opposite, turning my back to the village and closing my eyes I held my breath "take me away" I ordered "don't let me look back otherwise I'll cry!"

I felt his hands on my shoulders lead me to the bird and help me up, Abir settled himself in my lap as the whirl of the air told me we were flying.

* * *

I wriggled as the ex-Akatsuki peppered my neck with soft kisses and slipped his hand up the front of my shirt to caress my soft skin before moving higher and tugging the wraps on my chest apart to cup a breast, I moaned quietly,

"Dei…"

"Shhhh" he whispered into my ear "you'll wake the mutt, un"

"You're the one he'll attack" he ignored me and pushed my shirt up over my breasts so he could take one in his own mouth "oh…"

Two days from Konoha and we had travelled north and passed the border of fire and entered some unclaimed land between the all but gone Sound and the hidden away Waterfall, now we were heading as far north as the land would take us where we'd try and find somewhere to stop for good,

Deidara started to suck and when I opened my mouth to release a sound of pleasure he quickly covered it with his hand, the mouth nibbled my lower lip so I did the same back causing the male to freeze his actions as I ran my tongue over the tongue of his palm, a strange taste seeped into my cavern, I imagined it was what clay tasted like,

In a flash he'd replaced his hand with his mouth and I buried my fingers into his hair to hold him closer as he-

"Ahem…" we stiffened mid kiss as our eyes swivelled to the side of the bed where Abir was sitting, back straight, and staring at us with his eyebrows raised,

Deidara pulled back and shifted around slightly so his chest was on my stomach and his elbows were on either side of my body "hehe…It's not what it looks like? Un"

"Nice try" the dog said calmly "what did I say?"

"If I touched her again you'd eat my…You know…Un" the blond gulped,

"Right" the houkou sighed, placing his front paws on the bed "remove your pants, let's get this over with"

"Abir" I rolled my eyes "you realise I'm completely willing, right?" he snorted,

"Yeah, yeah. He still didn't listen though!"

"Abir…" I frowned at him; he backed away and flicked his tail,

"Fine, you can touch her, kiss her; mate with her for all I care as long as you warn me before hand so I can prepare my nose" he hopped up onto the sofa beside the door to our room and closed his glowing red eyes,

"That's the fastest I've ever seen you give up a fight" I commented,

"Wait a minute, un" Deidara leant back up and pointed his finger angrily at the dog "you were threatening to de-man me just days ago! And now all she says is 'Abir…' and you don't care anymore?"

Abir shrugged "not like I can do anything, despite my better judgment she's going to stay with you and you're going to keep trying to have sex with her. The fact that you gambled your cock for a quickie was proof enough of that. Even I can see a lost battle" he turned away from us "oh…And one more thing…" we blinked "where did those scars on her chest come from?" I flinched and lowered my gaze,

"I bought her a dress, un" the nin rubbed the back of his head "but the girl who made it got the measurements wrong and the under wire cut into her skin because I was mad at her for something and refused to remove it even when she was in pain"

"Did she forgive you?"

"Yeah" I nodded,

"Fine, good enough for me" he quietened down,

"O…Kay…" the man above me turned back and grinned "where were we? Un"

"You aren't doing it!"

"What? Un"

"Go to sleep!"

"But I'm already-"

"Sleep! Or I really will eat your manhood!"

I giggled.

* * *

Rose: Haha, thought I'd end it on a funny note,

Review please!


	46. Migration

Rose: Thanks for the reviews…I say that every time but I really do mean it.

Disclaimer: OC's and plot…Like usual.

* * *

_Standing over the sink I washed the used plates before setting them on the side to dry and rubbing my hands free of soap and water with a dish-cloth, there was a noise behind me and I turned to see a child playing with some blocks on the kitchen floor beside the dining table,_

_It was then I noticed that the kitchen was very much like the one in the Konoha Akatsuki base, it was light and airy and very big, the child looked up at me with bright blue eyes…__**My**__ eyes!_

_It was a girl and as well as my eyes she had curly blond hair that was tied up in pigtails, she was wearing a child's kimono in pale blue but she'd discarded her socks,_

"_Mama" she grinned "lookie! Lookie!" she piled the ten blocks on-top of each other to make a tower, I smiled and bent down to pick her up and hug her,_

"_Very good" I kissed her cheek and she giggled,_

_The front door slammed and a tall long haired blond stepped around the corner rubbing the back of his head, he blinked and smirked when he saw us "how're my girls? Un" he asked,_

"_Dada!" the girl reached her arms out and Deidara took her from my grip to hold her above his head, _

"_Look what she can do" he placed her on the floor "show daddy what you learned today" he stepped behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist and held my hands as our daughter slowly struggled to her feet, Deidara laughed happily,_

"_When did she learn how to do that? Un"_

"_This morning just after you left, she stood up in the living room to get her bottle from the coffee table" he picked her back up and stepped over to me to kiss my cheek and then hers,_

"_Who's my smart, beautiful girl? Un" he rubbed his nose against hers as she clapped her hands,_

_**BANG! BANG! BANG!**_

"_Who could that be?" I muttered, Deidara handed the little girl to me as he vanished in the direction of the front door,_

"_Can I help…Ack" he stumbled back, a kunai embedded in his chest, _

"_DEI!" I shouted, rushing forwards but he waved his hand frantically,_

"_R…Run, un" he coughed up blood and I felt tears trickle down my cheeks,_

"_Dei…" he fell back and started to convulse on the floor "DEIDARA!"_

"_Mama…" I forced my girls head into my shoulder so she couldn't see; as I did footsteps grew louder and from where Deidara had been someone stepped into the room,_

_I started to shake…There was no body…It was just a pair of eyes…A pair of glowing __**red **__eyes…_

"_Wha...What d…d you want?" I chocked out, an invisible hand traced my face before cupping my chin,_

"_Akina…" a disembodied voice purred, I shook violently, too scared to attempt to move,_

_Suddenly there was a small scream and the little blond girl was no longer in my grasp, I spun around to see her on the floor, a pool of blood around her head "NO!" I reached for her only to be pulled back and restrained, I kicked and punched and screamed but nothing worked and slowly the grip became so tight and covered me completely that I felt like I was being constrained by a giant snake or crushed by something,_

_I started to gasp and cry as my vision spotted with black smudges and I couldn't take in oxygen…_

My eyes flew open and I shot up in bed, beside me Deidara grunted and rolled over before forcing his eyes to part as he stared up at me "what's wrong? Un" he blinked and narrowed his orbs when he saw that, in the moonlight, my cheeks were shining from tears "Petal?"

"I had a nightmare" I whispered so quietly he had to strain to hear it "about the red eyes…"

He sat up and pulled me into his chest "it's okay" he kissed the top of my head "what was the dream about? Un"

"We…We had a daughter…And we were watching her stand when someone knocked on the door, you…You went to answer it but whoever it was…They…They stabbed you and you died right there…In-front of me!"

"Shhh" he held me tighter,

"Then…Then the disembodied red eyes came over and…And knocked the little girl from my arms and her head hit the floor…And I think…I think she was…Was-"

"Shhh" the blond repeated, rocking me gently "don't worry, remember what I told you? Un, dreams can't hurt you"

"A dream is what caused my miscarriage…" I whimpered, he flinched,

"You don't think…" his hand travelled to my stomach "the last time you had nightmares about red eyes…You were pregnant, un"

I shook my head "no"

"But-"

"No!" I repeated though I was still shaking in his hold "it was the wrong time of the month for me to get pregnant"

"What's going on?" from the sofa Abir yawned loudly and hopped down before climbing onto the bed with us,

"Hey, un, no dogs in the bed!" Deidara snapped as the houkou slipped under the covers on my other side,

"What're you doing here then?"

"Why you-"

"Dei…" I squeaked "I had a dream about the red eyes…They were Sharingan eyes…"

"What? Un, Itachi-"

"It wasn't Itachi's eyes…I know that much…But for that to be true…Then the person, whoever it is, to whom the eyes belong…They must be close…They might even be able to see us!"

He sat up a little straighter and glanced around, the mouths on his hands gnashed their teeth furiously "maybe we should leave, un" he climbed out of the covers and pulled out a bird from his discarded pouch, opening the stiff window he tossed it out and made an 'earth' sign, next went our bags which it caught and swallowed easily, I slipped on my shoes stiffly and scrambled onto the sill and carefully stepped onto the tail of the hawk, Abir followed and then Deidara after he'd unlocked the door and left the key on the bedside table,

He clutched me to his side as I wound my fingers into his shirt as we flew higher and higher before disappearing into the clouds "it'll be okay, un" he pecked my forehead "it doesn't matter if they found us or not. They'll never be able to follow us on this thing"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, un, we'll try not to stop until we're so far north they'd be crazy to go after us!"

Abir cuddled up on lap and soon dozed off, I buried my face into the mans neck "…Tired…"

"Go back to sleep, un" he cooed sweetly "sleep as long as you want"

* * *

I couldn't sleep, every time I closed my eyes I met a pair of blood red ones; and Deidara didn't stop for the rest of the night or the entire day, I could see sweat roll down his temple as he struggled to keep the bird in the air and every so often it would dip or jerk as his chakra slowly drained away,

"You need to rest" I whispered tiredly up at him, he pressed his lips to my forehead,

"Not until dusk, un"

"That's an hour away, you need to rest now"

"So do you! Un" I hugged him close to me,

"If you insist on flying any longer then at least take my chakra"

I held out my hand and after a couple minutes he placed his palm on top of my own and I slowly pushed my chakra through to his body, the strain on his face was instantly replaced with relief as the bird became smoother and was able to move faster, I dropped my head onto the blondes shoulder "you okay?" Abir barked up at me, I nodded,

"Yeah, having your chakra drained is…Well…Draining" I laughed breathlessly, the man holding me pulled me into his arms and settled me in his lap as he sat cross-legged on the back of the hawk, tilting my chin up he pushed his mouth onto mine, raising a hand I ran it through his hair "I think I might be able to sleep now…" as I was saying it my eyelids were dropping like lead and I quickly drifted into oblivion.

* * *

"She's been asleep for a while now, un"

"She stayed up half the night and then had her chakra drained, I'm not surprised"

"I guess you're right, un, that nightmare can't have helped either"

"Stop treating me like glass" I muttered as I rolled over and forced myself to my knees "what time is it?"

"It's almost midnight" the dog answered,

"So I've only been out about six hours then?"

"Uh…" the two males exchanged glances,

"You mean it's midnight…Of the next night?" they nodded "fuck…" I clutched my head "way over twenty-four hours? I can't believe I slept that long"

We were inside one of Deidara's stone igloos and outside I could hear wind whistling "we're only a day or two away from the coast, un" he said "did you want to try and find somewhere to stay there?"

"I don't think the beach is the best place" I muttered "too many tourists…Someone might recognise you" he nodded,

"Didn't think of that did ya?" the jet houkou sniggered, he was rewarded with a punch to the head,

"Shut up! Un" I smiled weakly and budged closer to the little clay creation in the centre of the floor that Deidara was using to light and heat the area, he came and sat beside me, wrapping me up in his cloak and arms "no more nightmares?"

"We won't know until tomorrow, last time they alternated between days didn't they?" he pushed my head under his chin "we should look for a place in the morning, maybe there's a small village or town we can move into" he hugged me before nuzzling my hair,

"We'll head a tiny bit further north, un. Just to be safe, but hopefully tomorrow or the day after we could find a place to rent"

"We'll need jobs"

"I can paint, un...Which reminds me…I haven't done any clay based art in a while. My hands are so itchy"

"Let it out while we're flying" I suggested "as long as there's no-one around"

He grinned "good idea, un"

Abir stepped over and slumped across our laps "okay we have a plan, I want to sleep now"

I smiled and stroked his head, he purred, despite being a dog he **purred** "night" he grunted in reply,

"Are you okay now? Un" I kissed the mans neck "you had me pretty worried, Petal"

"I feel a little bit better, though I'm still tired" he rubbed my back,

"Go back to sleep then, un" he fell back with me still in his hold and the dog still across our lower bodies, we giggled and afterwards I watched as his eyes shut and his breathing slowed, carefully so as not to disturb him I untangled myself from his cloak and draped it over both our forms, he smiled and held me tighter "adore you" he mumbled, so softly I barely heard it,

"Yeah…"

* * *

I still didn't feel any less drowsy the next morning, I yawned as I helped feed the bird our bags and was rubbing my eyes as I climbed onto its back, the Iwa-Nin gripped my shoulder and frowned at me "it's the same as last time" I explained as I brushed his hair from his face "I'll be tired until they stop because I'll be too scared to rest properly" he pecked my cheek,

"Tonight's the night, un" he sighed "don't worry, I'll be there if you wake up" I smiled,

"And what about me?" the dogs teeth nipped into the mans calf,

"FUCKING HELL!" he swore loudly and pulled his leg far away from the hound "and where were you the last time she had nightmares? Un"

"In the Summon Village"

"Ha!"

"And whose fault was that?"

Deidara faltered "uh…" he couldn't answer because whatever he said was wrong, he'd blocked off my chakra so I couldn't summon anything "shut up! Un" he settled finally before turning back to me with warmth shining in his cornflower blue eyes "ready to go?" I nodded,

We rose into the sky and the first thing the blond did was use his spare hand to pull out sculptures from his pouch "you aren't using all the clay are you?" I frowned,

"Of course not, un" he grinned before tossing three birds with four wings each out into the air, they popped into smoke and fluttered back to us, next he let loose six butterflies which fluttered daintily around me, a few spiders were blown up before they hit the ground and finally all the flying creatures backed away and exploded in a shower of smoke and heat, I clapped my hands,

"Very beautiful" I complemented, he licked my cheek,

"Not as beautiful as what I'm going to do to you later, un" he suggested with a seductive smirk, I elbowed him in the gut "ow!"

"Cheeky" I stuck my tongue out at him and Abir laughed,

"BURN!" he shouted joyfully, Deidara smacked him none to lightly "hey!"

"I don't feel up to it right now" he shrugged his shoulders,

"I can wait, un" I elbowed him again "ow! Stop doing that!" I chuckled,

"You're impossible!"

"I said I'd wait…Is tomorrow good? Un…Ow!"

"You've waited over ten months for me before, what's a few nights?" I asked with my eyebrows raised,

"I'm addicted to you, un, every time we have sex I crave you a little bit more and can only think of the next time when we'll be joined in such wonderful art!"

"Pervert"

"I AM NOT! Un" the hound and I laughed "stop that!" we continued so to let off some steam Deidara threw a few more birds, spiders and even a centipede out into the air,

"I still say it's beautiful…" I giggled "but at the same time I still say you're a pervert…Haha…" he quickly silenced me with a hard kiss "what the…?"

"If I'm a pervert then you're just as perverted as me, un" I ran a hand over the stubble on his cheek,

"Maybe I am…But I think we have to remember that I still blush whenever we…Do it…" as if to prove my point my body rapidly rushed all my blood to my cheeks, the Nin barked in laughter,

"Too true, un" he ruffled my hair "in spite of what happened the other night I still say I need to fix that" I shook him off,

"Good luck, because I probably won't be in the mood for a few days at least" I saw his face pale,

"I'll have gone mad by then! Un"

Abir sighed "then maybe you need another outlet for your sexual needs…Ever heard of masturbation?"

He received a vicious glare "that's all I did for ten months…I'm not keen to return to it! Un" the dog snorted as he tried to, unsuccessfully, hide his sniggers,

"She's such a tease isn't she?"

"You have no idea, un"

"Uh…Hello?" the two of them blinked at me "I'm still here!"

"Shush, un" a finger was pressed to my lips "this is guy talk"

I rolled my azure orbs and shook my head "glad to see they're finally getting along" I muttered as Deidara began to explain the bet we'd placed months before wagering my virginity against his lecherous advances and how he'd finally lost when he caught Tobi with his arm, all the while Abir was catching my gaze and coughing to hide his chuckles whenever the blond opened his mouth,

"Lotta good that bet did" I seethed mockingly "you're still a pervert"

"AM NOT!"

* * *

Rose: So they're gonna start looking for a place to stop, and was there really a red eyed man around? If not, where did the nightmare come from? All the questions will be answered soon…Well, maybe not soon…But they will be answered eventually,

Review please.


	47. Settling

Rose: Hi, hi! Once again, thank you all!

Disclaimer: OC's and plot…For now! HAHAHAHAHA…Cough…Hack…!

* * *

I snuggled deeper into the blond mans arms as he stroked my hair and petted the top of my head with gentle kisses "do you feel alright? Un" he asked, I smiled and nodded, pressing my cheek to his bare pectoral. Abir was under the covers behind me, buried into my back and on the other side of the window I could see snow falling gently,

We'd found a nice village about a day and a half from our previous position, it was ten miles from the coast so if we'd wanted to visit the sea we could but otherwise we'd remain here; currently we were renting out a small attic room in an inn, it was cheaper than an average room as we were running out of money; Deidara didn't seem particularly worried because in the seven days since we'd arrived he'd disappeared from the village off to do who-knows-what and leaving me alone with Abir and nosy residents,

"No more dreams? Un" I hadn't had another nightmare since the one over a week before, which meant one of two things, either we'd outrun the person causing them, which was the person the eyes belonged to, or it was some kind of lapse in my mind and I'd had the dream for no reason; I was more inclined to believe the former but the blond was adamant it was the latter. Abir was neutral as he didn't really understand what we were talking about,

I shook my head "hopefully they're gone for good" he pulled me a little closer,

"So when do you think you'll want to…You know, un…Ow" he grunted as I punched him "I was kidding!"

"You better have been! And to answer your question, I don't like doing it in places where someone else will chance the sheets"

"You were fine in the hotel, un"

"Yeah but…That room was kinda…Made for that. Wasn't it? The landlady here won't be pleased to come change the sheets one day and find…Whatever!" he laughed,

"I get it, I get it, un. Don't get upset I was only fooling around" I rolled my eyes but he couldn't see and wriggled into his hold once more,

"Where've you been going this past week?" I asked, I did every night but he always gave the same reply,

"You'll see, un"

"When?"

"Tomorrow? Un" I gasped and quickly pushed him back "hey!"

"Really? But what've you been doing? Tell me! Deidara tell me!"

"You don't know how hot you begging me is, un" I punched him again "ow"

"Deidara!"

He shifted under me and gripped my hips to roll us back onto our sides, my leg wrapped around his thigh and my hands clutched at his shoulders as he tied his arms around me once more "shhh" he pecked my nose "you'll find out in the morning, un, I promise to show you what I've been doing" I grinned and kissed him properly, he moaned loudly "we haven't done that in days…" he panted when I pulled back,

"Can the two of you just 'do it' already?" a voice echoed out of the duvet "the sexual tension is so thick you could cut it with a kunai" I giggled and the blond couldn't help but blush,

"Shut up! Un, stupid mutt!"

I lay my head back onto the Rock-Nin's chest and closed my eyes contently; he resumed running his hands through my snowy-white locks "goodnight" I muttered after a few minutes, he kissed my cheek before resting his nose on my head,

"Night, un"

"GO. TO. SLEEP!" the houkou snarled, we erupted in a fit of giggles again and it took us almost a quarter of an hour to calm down again, by which time the dog had moved to sleep outside on the roof.

* * *

Stepping out of the inn into the foot high snow was a real eye opener, it froze my toes but I didn't care at all, the only thing I was focusing on what the fact that there even **was** snow; I squealed happily "I thought it would have melted!"

"You kidding? Un" winters this far north are pretty bad, good thing we aren't too high above sea level. With a bit of luck though the summers should be pretty warm to balance it out" Deidara yawned before draping his arm across my shoulders "I'm never gonna be able to dig out clay in this…" he muttered in annoyance,

"You'll have to wait till it melts, that could take months" the little black dog sat by my heels and scratched his ear "so where's this place you're taking us?"

"Oh yeah, un, almost forgot. C'mon"

He took my hand and together we waded through the powder in the direction of the forest towards the north of the village, when we reached it, with frozen feet and a now white Abir, we leapt into the trees,

_What's he been doing? Sculpting? No he had no clay….Practicing Jutsu? No, again he'd need clay…Damn it! Everything involves clay! What the hell has he been doing all this time?!_

The ex-Akatsuki looked back and saw me scowling in thought so he dropped in to run at my side "what's wrong?"

"I can't for the life of me figure out what you could've been doing all this time!" he chuckled "what?"

"You won't figure it out, un. It's something quite unexpected" before I could ask he swept me up in his arms and picked up the pace, Abir close behind,

"What? Unexpected? And put me down, I'm perfectly capable of running all by myself!" he pecked my cheek,

"I love it when you get flustered, un" I crossed my arms and huffed "it's a surprise. So I can't let you see it until I'm ready"

I groaned and lolled my head back onto his shoulder; through the trees I could see the mountains in the west that surrounded this area of land, after a while I realised we were heading closer to them and that we were gaining altitude "Dei?"

"Not much farther, un"

It must have been two hours since leaving the village that he finally stopped and set me on the floor, but before I could do anything he'd pulled my headband from my pocket and used it to cover my eyes "huh?" then he picked me back up again and ran out of the forest, I knew we'd left the trees because I felt the sun shine down on my face,

"Alrighty, un" I shook my head as he let me down after another ten minutes; he positioned me carefully before pulling off my blindfold "tadaa!"

I clapped my hands over my mouth "oh my God!"

We were on the cliff side! There were trees about a hundred feet away on the left with the wall of the cliff beside it, on the other side was a path carved from the stone that led down to the forest we'd emerged from and I was standing two feet from an indescribable high, a sea of leafy green below me and the village in the distance "turn around, un" he said from behind, doing as he said I twisted to face him only to have my jaw drop,

It was a house!

"Did you-"

The blond chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his head "I didn't build all this if that's what you're wondering, un, the path and cut out of the rock was already here, as well as the building, but for the past few days I've been fixing it up so its liveable…It used to belong to a couple ages ago but they moved away, I've been secretly refurbishing it for us because no-one in the town goes up here I thought it would be nice and quiet"

It was small, but I liked small houses, there were two floors, so I assumed it was a two or three bedroom place, to the right side of the house, my left, were more trees and behind it was a valley that let to who-knows-where,

"It's beautiful!"

He sighed "did you want me to show you around? Un" I nodded and let him take my hand and lead me inside "I'll get a lock" he laughed bashfully before kicking the stiff door open, I giggled too,

"This place is nice…" Abir growled "how do you plan to get water and electricity?"

"There's an old generator in the back, un, and I'll fix the water pipes already in the house"

"And how will you do that?"

"Stop ruining the moment! Un"

The stairs leading to the second floor were directly in-front of the door, on the left was an archway to the kitchen and mirroring it on the right was the living room "it's cute" I decided,

The kitchen was in good shape, all the necessary things were there, a fridge, a cooker…The only thing not there was a dining table but that problem was easily solved, the walls were a pale yellow and the floor was once clean wood, now it was coated in a thick layer of dust and grime, I could see myself on hands and knees scrubbing away for hours at a time,

The living room had a similar dark wood floor and it was equally as filthy, the walls matched it though surprisingly they looked a little cleaner, there was a fireplace on the far wall that looked like it might still work, and apart from an old book case there wasn't anything else,

Upstairs there were three bedrooms, the biggest, and the term was used lightly because it was quite small, was on the left, on the wall there was a single square window with an empty curtain pole above it, opposite the window was the door to a tiny ensuite with a bath-shower combination,

At the top of the stairs was a long rectangle window that let me see into the back garden, it wasn't quite large enough to be used as a training ground, but I figured I could use it to plant flowers and vegetables and the space on the side beside the trees could be used for training, if we should need it,

The other two bedrooms were only just big enough to fit a bed in, one of them even had a bare mattress and metal frame that the original owners had left behind and it was defiantly a tight squeeze, there was a small space between the stairs and the bedroom doors that led to a bathroom even smaller than the other one, with just a shower, sink and toilet all cramped in tightly,

"What do you think? Un"

I let out a squeal and threw my arms around Deidara's neck "I love it! I love it!" he lifted me up and held me tightly "thank you so much! This is the nicest thing you've ever done!"

"Really? Un" he sounded a little disappointed "I should have gotten you a house long ago" I kissed his cheek,

We broke apart when Abir nudged my leg "so, not to ruin this moment or anything but…You two are obviously going to sleep in that room!" he pointed towards the 'biggest' room "so where am I sleeping?"

"You have two rooms to choose from, un" the blond frowned "pick one and shut up!" I rolled my eyes,

"You're so charming, Dei" he still had me in his arms and was turning back to the room with the bed,

"If you'll excuse us-"

"Oh no!" I tugged on his ear causing him to drop me ungracefully, I picked myself up and crossed my arms as he stared at me in confusion "we are not going to 'do it' not when this place is in need of a serious clean!"

"But…But…I thought you'd be so grateful that you'd let me…Do things to you! Un" I crossed my arms "if I clean…Will you let me do things to you?"

"What kind of things?" I asked,

He cocked an eyebrow "nice things?" I sighed and began to make my way downstairs towards the front door,

"I wouldn't allow it on that bed anyway! It's probably filled with insects; I'll be back later; I'm off to get supplies"

"BUT I'M HORNY!"

* * *

It took four hours to get to the town and back, added to the two hours for our first trip and that was half the day spent already and nothing had been done, when I returned the two males were sleeping on the living room floor; I set down the cleaning supplies bought with some of the last of our money, and jabbed the blond in the side with my toes,

He grunted before blinking his dark blue eyes open slowly and grinned up at me "hey, un…You're back to let me do things to you!" as he sat up I tossed a scrubbing brush into his lap "what's this?"

"You start in this room and I'll start in the kitchen, when you're done I'll give you something nice" his eyes lit up and he grabbed the two buckets before running out of the back door, located on the left side of the stairs, to fill them up with water from who knows where,

When he'd returned I poured in some washing liquid and took one of them off him to clean the kitchen, he stared after me with a pout before vanishing back to scrub the floor where Abir was still snoring away,

With a sigh I got down on my knees and dipped in my own brush to start on the grimy kitchen floor, to my surprise it all came away pretty easily and I was finished in half the time I'd previously expected so I decided to help Deidara, I almost burst out laughing to see that he'd scrubbed himself into a circle in the centre of the room and was waiting for it to dry, I shook my head and chuckled "what? Un"

"Rookie"

He waved me off "I've never cleaned before! Un, this is woman's work!"

"In Iwa maybe" I retorted "but now you're living with me and you're going to pull your weight"

"Or what?" he scoffed, it was then I realised he'd trapped Abir in a circle as-well,

I smirked "I'll never have sex with you again"

He dropped his brush "you monster! Un, you'd deny both me and yourself the most perfect art form known to mankind all for the sake of **cleaning**?"

"Yup. Now finish up while I go get that 'nice thing' I was talking about earlier"

I heard the sound of the brush starting up again and giggled as I fished out supplies from our bags which I'd brought from the inn, after wiping down the counter tops and pulling on an apron I used a Kunai to begin slicing up vegetables and used my chakra to make a fire on the hob of the cooker, it was a little red flame suspended just above it,

After around ten minutes I heard frantic footsteps and Deidara was suddenly behind me panting "nice thing! Un, where's my nice thing?"

"I'm making it now"

There was silence for a few moments before he spoke again "do you think you could maybe…just wear the apron as you're making my dinner? Un" I rolled my eyes,

"You're impossible. I'm making you your first real proper home-cooked meal in who knows how long and all you can think about it sex"

"And I appreciate that you're making me my first real proper home-cooked meal in who knows how long…I'd just appreciate it a little more if you were a little…naked…er, un"

"Honestly!"

Sometimes I wasn't sure how I felt about Deidara, sometimes I thought I might be feeling something akin to attraction, or maybe more, and then he'd throw a spanner in the works and with a single comment I'd be back to simmering in annoyance and anger silently,

He enjoyed the stir-fry though and actually forgot to make any sexual innuendoes on our way back to the town, which I was grateful for because I knew he must have had about fifty floating around his perverted little brain.

* * *

Rose: Guess I'll end it there for you, until next time.

Review please!


	48. New House

Rose: Hey people, I love all the reviews you've given me and wish I could reply to them all, but I can't so I'm sorry.

Disclaimer: OC's and plot.

* * *

I hummed lightly as I padded the earth around the seeds I'd planted and reached for the watering can, as I turned to grab it though I winced and Abir, who was sitting beside me, perked up his ears "you alright?"

"Yeah, I think I pulled a muscle though" he laughed so I poured water over his head "oh, go play with the pack!" I scolded, in the valley behind the house was a pack of wild dogs that Abir had become friendly with,

"I can't…They're hunting and won't let me go along because I outshined the leader last time" he pouted, standing up I dusted off my black leggings and made my way to the back door, taking a quick peek around the corner to the side of the house to check on Nana, the little white goat I'd bought about six months previously "so…figured it out yet?"

"You're such a pain!" I rubbed Nana's head and she bleated,

"Just asking…" the dog muttered "you can't go on like this, you know?"

I waved him off "I'll live like this as long as I can; I'm not ready to cross that bridge yet!"

The dog laughed, dodging my kick as I shut the door behind me "where is lover-boy anyway?"

"Shhh" I tapped his nose when a snore echoed from upstairs "and don't call him that!"

The hound started up at me with cranberry coloured eyes "you're still denying it?"

"I'm not 'denying' it…it's not true!"

He chuckled and followed me up the stairs, peeking into my room; Deidara was facing us on his side with the covers around his knees, we grinned at each other and sniggered,

Stepping inside I traced my fingers over the wall beside the door frame, he'd painted a huge tree on the opposite wall and the branches spread out across the other walls and onto the ceiling, it was covered in little white flowers with blue eyed, yellow birds fluttering around, we had a double bed, though it was still on the small side, that was under the window, beside the bathroom door was a wardrobe with a mirror beside it and a chest of drawers was on the other side of the frame,

I crawled onto the bed and dusted my dirt covered hands over his face, smirking as his nose wrinkled and his eyes were forced open, when he saw me he moaned before raising his hand up and running it down my cheek "minx, un" he muttered, on the other side of the bed Abir leapt up and landed on his stomach "HOLY FUCK!"

I laughed and Abir climbed off him dutifully "should I start running?" he asked, the man nodded with a glare but he merely smiled, showing off all his pearly white fangs after jumping down and trotting off, using his tail to pull the door too,

As soon as he was gone Deidara wrapped an arm around my waist and rolled us over so he could pin me down "now that we're alone, un…"

I quirked the corners of my mouth up and gripped his shoulders "Dara…" his fingers danced across my skin and grabbed the hem of my peasant shirt to tug it over my head,

He nuzzled my neck "hmm?" the Stone-Nin had managed to discard my shoes and shirt and was trying to untie my wraps,

I fought his hands off of me "I don't want sex" I said firmly, he stiffened and moved back up to stare at me in confusion,

"Did I do something you didn't like? Un" he whispered fearfully, I shook my head frantically,

"No, no!" I cupped his face "no, you didn't do anything like that…I just don't want to have sex. Is that a problem?"

He chewed on his lip thoughtfully "you've never said 'no' before, are you sick?"

I laughed "you're kidding, right? I don't want sex; don't take it so seriously" he sighed "can't we just cuddle?"

"Naked? Un"

I rolled my eyes "sure"

* * *

"So why did you wake me up? Un" we were lying on our sides facing each other with the duvet draped over our waists, I had one arm wrapped over my chest and the other was pillowing my head, the mans fingers were attempting to sneak under the little barrier I'd made across my breasts but to no avail,

Peeking my eyes open I blinked lazily; having relaxed and almost dozed off "because it's almost five-o-clock and you've been in bed since lunchtime" he smirked and stretched a hand out to trace my lips,

I ran my fingers through his bangs when he pulled me closer and buried his nose into my hair "Akina…" he purred,

"No sex"

"Damn, un" I giggled "but on an entirely different note…I have something important to tell you"

"Really?" he kissed my forehead,

"How long have we known each other? Un"

"Um…do you mean, since we met for the very first time or since you kidnapped me?"

"First time, un"

I quickly counted on my fingers "we met halfway through January…so…two years and three months"

"And how long have we been living here? Un"

"We moved in…in March" I answered easily "so…a year"

He smirked "so we've been together for a long time, huh?"

"I guess" I shrugged "where's this going?"

His hair was tickling my nose so I pulled back a little so I could stare into his eyes "Akina I…are you happy here?"

He shifted slightly and I felt his stomach press into mine "yeah" I whispered,

"You don't miss your village? Un"

"Sometimes…" he flinched,

"Do you think you'll ever forget it? Un"

"No" I said without hesitation, I saw his eyes dim "just like how you'll never forget your village. I can't forget it and the people within it…But I can move on and learn to live without them"

"Not even…Chika? Un, you think you can live without her?"

"As long as I have my memory of her"

"You still dream of her…More than your friends, un"

I flicked his nose with a cheeky grin "you still dream of Katsua" he averted his eyes in embarrassment "sometimes you call out her name…but it's okay to dream…"

He parted his lips "Akina, un"

"Deidara" I smiled and giggled lightly,

"I've waited a long time to say this, un, I've had so many opportunities but now…Now **this** is the right time for me to finally admit to both myself and to you about how I really feel"

"What're you talking about?" I asked, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening them once more to stare down at me with a serious look,

"I…I've never been so embarrassed in my life, un" he chuckled, I stroked his cheek "but…I can't go another day feeling like this and not telling you…Akina…I L-"

"MEEEEEEH!" from outside Nana bleated loudly,

I burst into giggles "stupid goat, un…I should never have let you keep it" I laughed even louder at the memory of the argument we'd had when I'd turned up at the house with a kid in my arms,

"She's hungry" I said as I began to pull away "you know how punctual she is" reaching over the side I grabbed my wraps,

"Even when we're living alone we can't a moment to ourselves, un" Deidara grumbled; I was only half listening as I secured my leggings before leaning back and pecking him on the lips, he tried to deepen it but I'd already pulled away

"Hm?" my hair was pulled back and tied into a loose bun,

He had dressed in a pair of dark green three quarter length and a matching kimono shirt with flip-flop like sandals, he no longer wore his hair in the high pony-tail but instead he secured it half way down his back, similar to how he said he wore it before joining Akatsuki "stay with me, un" he elaborated, following me down the stairs and out the back door "come back to bed!"

Looking up into the sky I saw how far the sun had moved "I should start dinner soon"

"Akina? Are you even listening to me? Un"

I bent down to hug the little animal in the pen, she responded by trying to eat my hair "yeah, yeah" I giggled "something about…staying back…right?" I turned to see his cheeks had reddened "I'm kidding!"

He pouted angrily "I want seeeeex!"

"It can't be healthy for a mans libido levels to be as high as yours are" I mused curiously,

"We haven't done it in three months! Un"

I started laughing "you're terrible!"

When Nana was taken care of I shut the gate and locked it securely, the last time it had been left un-locked she'd escaped and helped herself to Deidara's sketchbooks, next I took the blondes hand and walked with him back to the kitchen "can I eat dinner off of-"

"No" I said shortly when we were back inside; I knew exactly where he was going with his filthy little mind "I'm just the tiniest bit annoyed that you take everything and anything and twist it until it's something perverted and sexual"

"Yeah, I'm awesome like that, un" he rubbed his chest with his knuckles with a lack of modestly,

"You're like Hidan like that" I rolled my eyes and began to root around the fridge "what about rice and eggs?"

"I can't eat that off of your-"

"Deidara!"

He chuckled "joking, un. Rice and eggs sounds great" with that settled I started on the dinner "do we have any chocolate?"

"AGH!" he burst out laughing as he leant against the door frame,

"Sorry, sorry, un, I had to! It was too funny to watch your reaction"

I pulled a knife from the drawers "one more word…just one! And I will cut you!"

He glanced from the knife to his crotch "you mean my balls?"

"Yes!"

"But you love my balls! Un" he chuckled again, this time nervously, when my scowl deepened he backed away with his hands held up "alright, no more innuendoes for the rest of the day"

"Better than nothing" I admitted, returning the blade to the drawer, the male came up behind me and nuzzled my neck,

"Hey, un…since we're on the topic…"

"Of your genitals?"

He puckered his lips "sure, un, but…I've been wondering…"

"About?"

"How do you feel…about…kids? Un"

I furrowed my brow "I thought you didn't like Nana…"

He moaned "not that kind of kid! Un, I mean…children...how do you feel about children?"

"I like children"

"Do you want any?"

I gulped quietly; I had a feeling I knew where this conversation was going "yeah…why?"

"I wanted to know if…you wanted any…around now…with me…willingly, un"

I parted my lips, then pressed them tightly together and the parted them a second time "I don't know" I said finally "I just don't know how I feel about bringing a baby into a world where its parents don't-"

"Love each other? Un" he finished for me "I understand…I was just…I mean…" he backed away as I mixed the scrambled eggs and rice "God I'm such an idiot!" I heard him smack his forehead,

"I do want children…Just not right now…If it happens then that's fine, I'd be really excited…but if it relies solely on planning then I don't think I'd want to for a while"

I turned and handed him his bowl with the chopsticks, he smiled "thanks, un"

"And since you've been **so** good, not including just now…how about after dinner we go upstairs and-"

"Yes! Yes! Yes! A million times yes! Un"

* * *

Rose: Damn this is short!

Review please!


	49. Reunion

Rose: Yay! Chapter 49…wow…Chapter 49…Holy cow!

Disclaimer: OC's and plot.

* * *

With a jerk my eyes flew open and I found myself staring at the faint outline of my bedside table; sitting up I clutched the sheets to my chest and took a deep, calming breath,

_There!_

"Someone's coming…" I gasped; still sound asleep, Deidara muttered quietly to himself before tightening his arms around my waist and letting out a snore, grabbing onto his shoulder I shook him roughly "Deidara! Wake up!"

He snorted and stretched his legs "hmmm…What'zit?" without looking at me he tried to snuggle into my lap once more but I shoved him off,

"Don't you feel that?"

"Feel what? Un" he pushed himself into a kneeling position and rubbed the back of his head…Then he tensed "shit…chakra signatures" scrambling over the edge of the bed I watched him pull on his pants and grab one of his half full clay pouches before stalking out into the hall, when I tried to copy him he guided me back to the bed "stay here, un"

"Dei-"

"Mutt! Un, get your ass out here" the blond ignored me and tapped his bare foot against the floor as he waited for the dog to appear, he did eventually, dragging himself out of the opposite bedroom,

"What?"

"There're three chakra signatures heading this way, un, they'll be here within five minutes. You're coming with me to take them on"

"Deidara!" I leant against the doorframe with the duvet wrapped around my form,

Again I was ignored "why didn't you notice them sooner?" Abir barked angrily,

"Because we've gotten lazy, un, alright?" the Nin snarled back,

"Deidara!" I tried again, he turned and without a work of acknowledgment, threw me over his shoulder and dumped me back onto the mattress, then he shut the door and I heard he and Abir descend the stairs "but it's people we know" I finished lamely as I shook my head "that idiot's been around those three so long he blocked out the feeling of their chakras'"

I struggled to de-tangle myself from the covers before fishing about in the chest of drawers to find one of his shirts and a pair of boxers; afterwards I pressed my ear to the wood,

**BANG! BANG! BANG!**

"That's them…" I whispered, cracking the door open; both Deidara and Abir were silent but then there was a shout from outside and the front door was thrown off of its hinges,

"Dude! Why didn't you open the fucking door? We knocked and everything! Seriously…No fucking manners any more!"

"What the…Hell…?" the Iwa-Nin stuttered, I crept out and stood at the top of the landing,

"Dara" I breathed, the five men standing around the broken front door stopped and stared up at me,

"Akina?"

"Hidan!" I grinned and hurried down the stairs "Kisame! Itachi!" the shark-man was the first to do anything, as usual, as he swept me up in his arms,

I could swear that I felt my bones crack; Kisame always gave painful hugs "short-stop!" he laughed "how've you been?"

"Um…Great! Could you put me down now?" he gave me one last toothy smile before dropping me on my feet, I stumbled back into the arms of another male, peering back I saw onyx eyes shining down "Itachi!"

"It's good to see you again" I didn't need to ask him to release me because he did it himself, either way however, Hidan grabbed me and hoisted me up by my waist so I was staring down at him wide eyed,

"Hey Bitch! You've gotten taller…"

"Hidan-"

"Handsome as ever…Nice tits, by the way…They're at least a cup size bigger since the last time we saw each other"

I rolled my eyes and sighed "nice to see you too"

"Put her down you bastard! Un" I was rudely yanked from the silver haired mans hold and found myself wrapped protectively in Deidara's arms, Abir sat down in-front of me "what the hell are the three of you doing here?"

"We can't come visit our favourite explosives expert?" Kisame smirked; he was met with a vicious glare from the blond,

"You've been looking for us, un"

"For over a year" Itachi elaborated "you certainly know how to disappear when you want to Deidara"

He growled so I quickly cut in "are you guys tired? You must be tired after running all the way here; we have a couple bedrooms free upstairs if you want to relax"

"That'd be awesome" the Steam-Nin sighed "we've been sleeping on rocks for the past eighteen months"

"There's no bed in there yet, un" the Nin holding me sneered,

"Wood is better than rock" Itachi retorted smartly "lead the way Akina"

I brushed some of my tangled hair behind my ear and wriggled out of Deidara's iron grip, the three males and Abir trailed after me "they aren't very big" I apologised as I opened the door, we hadn't bought any furniture for it because it wasn't needed, but there were clay stains across the walls and floor from where the blond had been trying to create small creations, the three of them thanked me and began setting up their sleeping bags "I'll see you in the morning" I shut the door behind me and bid the dog goodnight,

He flicked his tail and vanished into his room whilst I went back downstairs to watch Deidara fix the front door, he used clay to mould the hinges back together "don't try and open that until I say so, un" he ordered, turning back to me, I smiled and took his hand,

"C'mon, back to bed"

He scowled "I can't believe you let them stay! Un"

"It's just the three of them" I defended lowly after climbing back into the bed,

He mimicked me "but what if someone followed them! Un" I lay down with my back to him "Akina!" he shook my arm "this is serious"

I waved him off "it's just one night"

"Ugh!" he nuzzled between my shoulder blades and wrapped his arms around me "I told you to stay up here, un, you disobeyed me"

I felt him frown against my skin "lucky I never listen to you, otherwise a fight might have broken out…And then where would we be?"

"Uh…"

"Adore you!" I jumped in to take his mind off of the conversation,

"I adore you more! Un" he grinned, kissing my neck with his mouth and my stomach with his hands "I want you so much!"

"Not doing it!" I groaned,

"But I really, really, **really** want you! Un"

"We did it just a few hours ago" I yawned, he quietened down but it was an hour or two before I felt him relax and emit a snore, after which I too let myself drift off.

* * *

I rubbed my cheek against the pillow and pulled the duvet up around my body so I was wrapped up tight and sighed contently; I was waiting for my bed-mate to cuddle up to me so when nothing happened after a minute or so I forced myself to roll over and move closer to him,

Only to find he wasn't there,

"Dei?" I sat up and glanced around, it was morning, late morning by the looks of it "I slept in" I giggled, that very rarely happened,

With a stretch and a groan as my muscles ached and my bones cracked I untangled myself from the covers and started the search for some clothes to change into; I'd just begun to undress when the door creaked open and Deidara stepped in with a tray "morning, un" he grinned "you're up"

"Hmm" I pecked his cheek "what's this?"

"I was going to treat you to breakfast in bed, un" I laughed and placed the shirt and leggings I was going to change into on the chest of drawers and flopped back onto the messy bed, he placed the tray on my bedside table,

"I had the weirdest dream last night" I rubbed my forehead,

"Oh? Un, what about?"

I picked up the bowl of Raman; the only thing Deidara was capable of cooking, and stirred it around with the chopsticks "I dreamt that Itachi, Kisame and Hidan broke down our front door and spent the night in the spare room" he cocked an eyebrow "oh God…it wasn't a dream was it?"

Golden locks swayed back and forth as he shook his head before tapping my chin "eat up, un" I did as he said and swallowed a mouthful "because Raman is the only thing I can make without causing food poisoning I brought you an apple too" he motioned to the bright green fruit beside a mug of mint tea,

"Like I don't eat enough fruit and veg" I giggled, swapping the empty bowl for the tea, the male put the apple beside the lamp and took the tray and bowl with him as he left,

"Go back to sleep, un"

"Right" I rolled my eyes and followed him to the kitchen despite his protests "morning" I greeted the males around the table drinking coffee "I can't believe I though you three were a dream, Hidan swears in his sleep…How could I have possibly dreamt that up?"

"Haha, real fucking hilarious" I ruffled his already messed up bed-head,

"Aw, baby"

"AHHHH!" he batted me away,

From outside Nana began to bleat so I doubled back into the hall and out the back door to feed and brush her "hello" I greeted, petting her on the head, when I was finished I arrived back in the kitchen to see that Abir had surfaced and was carefully watching the Akatsuki at the table, along with Deidara who was leaning against the sink,

"Why do you have a goat?" the Mist-Nin inquired,

"Why not?" I shrugged,

"Good point"

"We're going to milk her when she's mature enough" I answered with a grin,

Hidan blanched "ugh…You're going to drink goat juice?"

"Hidan where do you think the milk back at Ame came from?" Deidara bit out nastily, the other man paled slightly before glancing down at his mug "dip-shit, un"

"So what are you guys doing here?" I shot the blond a warning look; I knew how easily he would start a fight over the littlest thing,

"We came looking for you" Itachi sighed "you're in danger"

The two of us stiffened and glanced at each other before back at the trio "what do you mean?"

"You've probably noticed already that our rings are missing and our nails have returned to their natural colour" from the corner of my eye I watched Deidara absentmindedly check his hands, his nails had lost the purple hue a year ago "Akatsuki is no more. The day after your desertion it, along with Ame, was burned to the ground"

"The whole village? Un" the blond gaped,

The Uchiha nodded "as far as we can tell…we three were the only survivors…Not counting the one who destroyed the village in the first place"

Kisame took over "we aren't entirely sure what happened…Itachi and I left for a mission early in the morning, as we were leaving we saw one of your birds fly over head and assumed that you'd been given one too, we didn't give it a second thought until we returned the next evening to find the place in ruins. After fishing through the rubble we found Hidan, who survived for obvious reasons, and spent half the night fixing him"

"Stupid bastard Kakuzu died…The one time I actually fucking needed him, these two can't sew for shitting fudge!" I giggled "the only other member to survive was Zetsu…well…the white half at least"

"What happened to the black half?" I asked carefully, unsure if I really wanted to know,

"Crushed under a fucking boulder" I winced "anyway…Red-Eye over there asked him what happened, apparently Blondie had run away and taken you with him, when the Leader heard the news he went berserk and the village took the brunt of his fury"

"You mean Pein did it? Pein is chasing us? Un"

The three new-comers exchanged worried looks and Itachi shook his head slowly "the important thing is…Deidara, you are in danger, we need to set up scouts in the surrounding area, luckily we're high up so we have the upper hand,

"Why is this guy after him?" Abir spoke up at last; Kisame and Hidan stared at him like gormless idiots,

"Did that dog just talk?" the Mist-Nin blinked slowly,

"Yeah, un" Deidara rolled his cornflower blue eyes,

"That's a pretty neat trick" the Jashinist added,

"It's getting him to shut up that's the hard part, un" the hound growled but didn't retort,

"It's a summon" Itachi explained effortlessly,

Abir barked "answer my question!"

The Uchiha rubbed his face with his palm "we don't know, we just know that he's after you and we have to keep a look out"

"Fine, un" the blond reached behind him and grabbed the bag of clay he'd left on the counter during the night "I still don't trust any of you, but I'll go with you to set up sentries"

"I'll come too" I spoke up,

"No way. You're staying here with the mutt"

My face fell "aw, c'mon!"

But Deidara was adamant "will she be safe here on her own?" Kisame muttered,

"With the dog? Un, she'll be fine. Trust me"

"Yeah and…you know…I can fight!" I added "just in-case that had slipped your minds, I was an Anbu back in Konoha though I suppose that means nothing now!" I huffed as I stormed from the kitchen and back upstairs,

"Akina…" the Iwa-Nin called after me, he tried to chase after me but I stopped him with the slamming of the bedroom door "it's best if you stay here, un, let me deal with the Leader" he knocked gently "we'll be back in an hour" this time I slammed the bathroom door and locked it after me.

* * *

Rose: Oh dear, Deidara can't do anything right can he?

Review please!


	50. Surprise!

Rose: Yay! Chapter 50! I'm on chapter 50! OH MY FUCKING GOD!

Disclaimer: OC's and plot.

Yeah, it's kinda of a filler chapter but bare with me folks!

* * *

"So…Feel like getting out of the tub?" Abir asked from his position on the toilet a foot away from me, I was leaning on the side, my chin on my arms,

"Sometimes, he really makes me mad" I muttered, brushing a curly wet lock from my face "but I came to the conclusion long ago that I can't hate Deidara…but I do-"

"Love him?"

I shot a glare in his direction "no. I don't love him. I just know I don't hate him…I must be somewhere in-between"

"When did you start feeling like that?" I shrugged,

"No idea; but it must have been after our first time"

The dog let out a loud howl "don't wanna hear that! Don't wanna hear that!" I giggled,

"I know for certain that I stopped hating him four months after he kidnapped me" I continued "but I didn't start to think of him as a friend for another two or three months after that"

"What happened at four months?" Abir perked his ears up, generally interested,

I closed my eyes at the memory "it was the first time I smiled at him…"

_The door opened and footsteps clacked across the floor, I knew at once that it was Sasori, only he made such unusual noises when walking, he stopped beside the bed and sighed "I know you're awake, Little Doll"_

"_What's your point?" I muttered bitterly, _

"_Where's the key?"_

"_On the shelf" _

_With another side he slowly moved to the opposite side of the room and then back to me, sitting on the bed he grabbed my left ankle and unlocked the cuff that Deidara had secured around it "sit up" the man ordered, solemnly I did as he said and mimicked his position of sitting with my legs over the edge of the mattress "tell me what happened?"_

"_He's already told you everything" I snapped, fingering with the violent locks, my roots had grown out and returned to their natural white but there was still a long way to go until all my hair was back to normal,_

"_You've been crying" the redhead said, I swiped at my eyes "let me rephrase the question…Why did you rip up the sketchbooks?"_

"_I wanted to make him mad" I whispered,_

"_Go on"_

"_I wanted to make him so mad that he would be blinded with rage…so mad that he wouldn't realise what he was doing until it was too late…so mad that he would kill me!"_

"_Why did you want him to kill you?"_

"_I wanted to escape…"my voice broke slightly but I forced my eyes not to water, _

_Sasori rubbed the bridge of his nose "I wish the two of you would stop treating me like a couple's counsellor" he groaned "Akina do you realise that after leaving you here he arrived in my room practically crying because he was at the end of his rope?"_

"_The end of __**his**__ rope?" I spat and turned away from the puppet, he rubbed my shoulder "where is he anyway?"_

"_I sent him on an errand" from the corner of my eye I thought I saw him smirk "Deidara was on an especially short fuse today…the books were just the catalyst. Do you know the real reason why he was so quick to anger?"_

"_No" I breathed out hoarsely,_

_Wooden fingers crept under my chin and tilted my head up and around so the two of us could see eye to eye "Deidara thinks you have a beautiful smile, and I have to agree…the problem is you smile at everyone barring him"_

"_He's jealous?"_

_Sasori nodded "very. Another thing that no doubt annoys him, but trust me I can understand, is that you shake when he raises his voice"_

"_Well if he didn't yell at me for stupid things like blinking then I wouldn't be so scared!" I defended quickly but the puppet waved me off,_

"_I said I understand. And Deidara has agreed to work with me to try and control his temper" I frowned "he also understands that chaining you up and threatening you like he did earlier was wrong"_

"_Is he going to say sorry?"_

"_Are you?" I shrugged "we all need to make sacrifices Akina"_

"_Ha!"_

"_Deidara worked hard on those drawings and when you destroyed them before they were 'ready' as he put it, it hurt him, so he hurt you to make himself feel better…but it didn't work which is why I'm here"_

"_Okay…"_

"_Right" he clapped his hands together "now that that's been sorted, I feel it's only fair to share with you what he shared with me. Deidara only asks for one thing from you"_

"_My virginity?" I barked lowly,_

"_I'll ignore that…well; actually, 'yes' he does want that…but not right now. The only thing he wants from you is for you to smile and welcome him back from missions or outings"_

"_Easy for him to say" _

_Standing up the redhead adjusted his cloak and started towards the door "Deidara has been pleasant to you on more than one occasion during your duration here, think of one of those situations when you next see him and please attempt to give him this one small thing; I think you owe him that much"_

"_Fine"_

"_Don't take his outbursts too seriously" he continued "where Deidara comes from yelling is the main form of communication" I sniggered "so when he gets mad it's only natural for him to revert to old habits and traditions because they make him feel safe and in control"_

_The door shut softly and I was left with my own thoughts, sighing loudly I forced myself to stand, Sasori was right, as much as I hated to admit it; turning to the chest of drawers and changed my clothes from the creased and tear stained dark purple dress I was wearing into a smarter pristine white one with short fluttering sleeves and a blue beaded hem,_

_Four months of memorising foot-falls meant that I knew the steps making their way down the hall belonged to the Stone-Nin, I stood in the middle of the room, a few feet from the door so that the first thing he saw when he entered would be me, my fingers twisted around each other and my heart hammered against my ribs when the handle turned and the blond stepped through, _

_I held my gaze when it locked with his, he froze for a split second before shutting the door behind him "Akina I-" he started but cut himself off and began to shuffle around nervously "I…got this for you, un" he approached me and pushed something soft into my hands, peering down I saw that it was a medium sized teddy-bear with snowy white fur and bright brown eyes, between it's paws it was holding a large red silk heart with the words 'forgive me' sewn into it with white thread, I traced it carefully "I'm sorry…" he continued "for shoving you onto the bed and chaining you to it…and for threatening to lock you in the cells when I went away for missions and for…for losing my temper, period, un" _

"_Me too" I whispered "I'm sorry for ripping up your sketches and for goading you on when I could see that you were upset" there was an awkward silence before he spoke up again,_

"_Just for the record, un…I had to go to three villages to get that" he pointed to the bear and I felt the corners of my mouth quirk up, _

_I was vaguely aware of him passing me to enter the bathroom "Deidara" I turned to face him and waited for him to stop and turn around; when he did I looked down at the bear and then back up to him, this time my lips curved into a genuine smile "welcome back"_

_He doubled back until his chest was barely two inches from mine; I kept my head low and continued to stoke the bears fur until my form was suddenly engulfed by the blondes larger one, his arms wrapped tightly around me and his face buried itself into my shoulder "thank you, un"_

"Akina? Akina? AKINA!"

I jerked away from the ringing in my ear and yelped "what the hell?"

"You just went real quiet for like…five minutes all of a sudden!" Abir blinked "you fall asleep?"

"I was just…remembering something" I grinned and reached for a towel "I wonder whatever happened to that bear..." I mused to myself,

"Huh?"

"Nothing" I dried myself off quickly and redressed in a white tank-top and black leggings with my Anbu sandals, as I exited the bedroom I ran my fingers through my hair to dry it, the little black dog trailing after me the entire way "they aren't back yet? Dei said an hour"

"They're probably on their way back now, give 'em time" I rubbed his head,

"Yeah…until then I can work on my apology" a sigh escaped my lips,

"Why don't the two of you just sit down and talk about the way he treats you?"

I pulled the milk from the fridge and poured myself a glass "because it's not like he treats me bad!" I argued "he says that he hates his village and he rejects the traditions but then when he thinks of something bad happening to me he reverts right back to his possessive, over-protective Iwa self. He's working from tradition, which is that he has to protect me even when I'm perfectly capable of looking after myself, because he doesn't know what else to do in this kind of situation and he doesn't want to mess it up, so doing what his family did allows him to feel safe and in control" I recalled the words Sasori told me long ago,

"So you're saying it's a defence mechanism? He's coddling you because if something goes wrong he doesn't want to be the one blamed for it"

I nodded "exactly"

"Idiot"

"Yeah I know…but he's an adorably thoughtful idiot!"

* * *

I licked my index finger and flipped over the page of my book, I read the first few paragraphs, sighed, and tossed the object onto the other side of the sofa I was seated on "they should have been back by now"

Abir raised his head; he had curled up on the armchair to the right of the sofa "how long has it been?"

"Two hours"

"You want I should take a look?" he asked, jumping down and stretching,

I laughed "you kidding? Deidara would have a fit if you left me alone"

"Oh yeah…that whole 'you're a woman completely helpless' thing" he snickered after scratching his ear "so?"

I shrugged "I guess we just hang around"

"You can't seriously be okay with that? You hate being cooped up like this"

"Yeah well, spending eleven months with the Akatsuki you get used to not doing whatever you want"

"You aren't with Akatsuki anymore"

"You say that when three of them minus Deidara spent the night here. Including him that's almost half of the organisation"

He open and closed his mouth to try and say something coherent before stuttering "I'll just go take a quick snoop" he sniffed when he couldn't come up with anything else,

"Abir…" I jogged after him but he was already out of the back door before I had the chance to stop him "fine. But you're the one Deidara will chastise! I am **not** taking the fall for this!" when he didn't come back I let out an angry groan and kicked the door shut irritably "everyone with a Y chromosome in the vicinity is an idiot!" I was halfway down the hall when I heard a tap from behind "you came back then!"

Laughing to myself I backtracked and slowly pulled open the door fully; it wasn't Abir though…

"Hello Pretty Flower!"

* * *

Rose: HAHAHAHAHA! You weren't expecting that were you?

Review please!

By they way, bad things happen in the next chapter. Prepare yourself!


	51. Cage

Rose: I left you speechless last time didn't I? Haha! I'm so evil…as many of you have noted on previous occasions,

Disclaimer: OC's and plot.

**Um…Sorry people but exams are coming up so I may have to delay this story for a while after this chapter, repeat; **_**may**_**. I might not have too it just depends on how confidant I feel; it would only be for a couple weeks though so it's not like you'd be waiting overly long. Thanks everyone.**

* * *

Small noises emitted from my throat as I gaped up at the swirly orange mask just a foot away from my face, I swallowed the lump that had formed and rubbed at my eyes to test whether or not I was really seeing what was in-front of me "T…Tobi?" I finally forced out when it became apparent that I wasn't dreaming,

He was dressed exactly like I'd remembered, with his scarf and the armour on his legs and arms,

He rubbed the back of his head and giggled nervously, then, without warning I was suddenly pulled into his arms and lifted from the floor "Tobi missed his Pretty Flower!" with me still in his embrace he walked into the hall and kicked the door shut,

"Tobi!" I managed to wiggle out of his grip and backed away "I…you…"

"Pretty Flower is not happy to see Tobi?" the male cocked his head to one side, I rubbed the back of my head and laughed lightly,

"I just…never thought I'd see you again!"

_I thought Itachi said they all died?_

He took my hands in his "Tobi missed Pretty Flower sooooooo much! He cannot believe he is looking at her!" I backed away a little before motioning him to go into the living room; I dived into the kitchen with the excuse of making tea,

_Something doesn't feel right…_

I tried to sense Abir but he was no-where, I wondered if he'd gone too far out of my range in his search for the others but before I could ponder further I heard a crash from where I'd left Tobi, dropping the kettle into the sink I burst into the room "what happened?"

I saw the remains of a small vase on the floor and the masked man standing awkwardly "Tobi is sorry, he dropped it"

Stepping further in, slowly though because I felt uneasy, I bent down and collected the fragments "it's fine, Deidara can always make another one" I placed them back where it had fallen from, glancing up to the male I saw that he had turned away "I'll…go finish the tea" I hadn't made it two steps before long fingers clapped over my wrist with an iron grip, spinning me back around I collapsed into Tobi's arms; which he wrapped around my waist and back securely "ah"

Craning my head up I watched him remove the hand from my wrist and grab his mask, slowly he pulled it up and I heard the clicking sound of its removal, sky blue eyes locked onto the orange swirl which was placed on the bookshelf "Akina…" Tobi crooned, drawing my attention back to him,

This was the first time I'd ever seen his face, it was long and narrow and he looked vaguely like Sasuke, but his hair was more like Itachi's, dark and spiked up at the front, my own eyes flickered over his for a second but it was enough;

Sharingan!

Red with three black commas!

"Uchiha" I whispered,

He smirked with full lips and I saw dimples appear with the action "what do you think?" his voice was different, deeper, calmer…it sent shivers rolling down my spine in some kind of fearful pleasure,

He would have appeared quite young if not for the creases under his eyes, his skin was also very pale but otherwise he was attractive "I always imagined you different…" I answered finally "I never thought you would be an…Uchiha"

The smirk turned into a small smile but I realised it didn't look right on him, the expression seemed foreign "I'll have you know…" his fingers tipped my chin "that I am the **first** Uchiha!"

"First?" my voice was getting weaker, his thumb brushed against my lips,

_Don't look in his eyes! Don't look in his eyes! Don't look in his…Damn!_

Now I was caught, first rule of Uchiha's; never make eye contact!

It took me a moment to realise he was leaning closer and closer, until I felt his mouth against my own, a moan rose up from my throat and his hand cupped the back of my head and tangled into my hair, next his lips passed down my neck and nipped my shoulder, I gasped and my knees buckles but Tobi caught me,

"What're you-"

He shushed me and brought the hand from my waist up to his mouth, his teeth clenched onto the tip of his gloved finger and removed the article, dropping it to the floor, then it slipped up the back of my shirt and to my wraps,

"Your eyes…" I groaned weakly "…I've seen them before…"

He nuzzled my cheek "in your dreams? Or should I say…nightmares?"

Twisting us around Tobi lowered me onto the wine coloured sofa and straddled my hips, I seemed to be in a daze, gazing up at the dark haired man above me I arched my back when the wraps were dropped to the floor and my shirt pushed above my breast "what…oh!"

His mouth was hot and his tongue curled around my nipple, after a few minutes he switched to the other one, I withered under him and bucked my hips; whining when he moved away from my chest to suck and kiss down my stomach, the fabric of my leggings flowed down my thighs and I heard them hit the ground, then his bare fingers danced across my hot skin "Akina" he purred,

"Tobi…" I replied, my voice just as low as his, he yanked his shirt over his head and discarded his pants, leaving us both in our underwear "I don't…understand…"

The dark haired male shifted both my legs either side of him and kissed inside my thigh "you don't? I thought it was obvious"

"Why are you…we…?" I started panting, the room was spinning wildly but he was unaffected above me, I found myself focusing on his eyes before we were locked in a heated kiss "ah…" he pinched my nipple with his teeth and my eyes rolled back "AH…" the he did the same thing on the inner of my left thigh, but this time is was painful, I cried out when he jerked back, he'd bitten me hard enough to cause it to bleed but when I tried to wipe the drops away he took my hand and ran it across his chest,

I felt around for some stitches over his heart but found none "Dei?"

"You know I'm not…" I blinked a few times to focus myself on the dark haired man, my mind felt foggy, like it was filled with mist but I managed to clear it enough to slide away a little,

Furrowing my eyebrows I struggled to think "this isn't…we shouldn't…" he tried to drag me under him again but I flew back and staggered to my feet, covering my chest with my hands bashfully and staring at the mans forehead in order to avoid his eyes "you were controlling me…with your eyes…who…who are you?"

He sat up and rolled his shoulder lazily and reached for his clothes "I suppose introductions are in order, my dear" he stood up and faced me, by which time I had managed to pull on my leggings and was replacing my support wraps "my name is Uchiha Madara…and I am in love with you!"

I froze just as I was securing the last tie of my wraps "WHAT?"

"I love you" he repeated, blinking down at me, again I kept my eyes above his in-case he tried to hypnotise me again "I've been in love with you for a long time now, so long in-fact that I've tried countless times to steal you from Deidara" I was backing away as he approached "I even had to resort to scarring you in the hopes he would find you repulsive and dispose of you, wearing that red dress all night can't have been comfortable" I gasped, Tobi had been the one to change the measurements on the dress that gave me the scars on my breasts "but of course the two of you prevailed…then when you became pregnant my only choice was to drive you apart with grief, losing the child was hard on the both of you but it only served to push you closer together, finally I decided I would just **have** you! But that bastard Deidara obviously wasn't going to have it and ran away with you; it was no wonder the village could not survive my wrath but I never thought any people would survive!"

I gulped "so…you're the Leader of the Akatsuki…not Pein, he was just some kind of figurehead?"

"Exactly" Tobi purred "I almost caught up with you one night in an inn, if I recall it was a village quite near here, unfortunately not only did Itachi and those others disturb me when I was in the middle of a Jutsu, you and Deidara evaded me once more and vanished; do you have any idea how much ground I had to cover before finding you here? It's a miracle it didn't take me longer than a year!"

He'd trapped me against a wall now, arms caging me in like I was some kind of bird, I gulped and made to duck out of the way when he caught me in his embrace and forced his mouth onto mine in a furious kiss, I tried to fight back but felt myself melting into him, I couldn't help it, there was something about him that drew me to him "please don't…" I whispered when he broke it,

With a smirk he replied "does he do this anymore? Does Deidara kiss you like it might be the last time, every time? Does he touch you like I was just now? Or does he just fuck you and then fall asleep? Does he hold you like I long to? Does he whisper sweet nothings in your ear? Or has your sex life become boring, vanilla? Don't you long for some cinnamon?"

I was shivered and could feel heat forming between my legs "don't talk like that…" I begged,

"Why?" he breathed, tugging on my ear with his teeth "does it excite you?" I closed my eyes and let out a shuddering moan "I thought so…" I felt his hand slide down the back of my pants to grope my behind; I gasped and shoved him away roughly,

"Don't touch me! I refuse to allow you to touch me!" I stood regally with hands on my hips and a stern expression "I am loyal to Deidara, never have I thought about going with someone else, even if you brainwash me, even if you take control of my mind, I will not cheat on him! I care about him too much for that!"

"You love him?" Tobi pushed,

I spluttered "NO! I don't love him, but even if I did why that should make any difference I do not know but I will not sleep with someone else! No matter how predicable our…" I paused to blush "…'personal time' has become!"

I heard the man growl "you're too soft, Akina" I clenched and unclenched my fists as my sides, there was a puddle of water soaked into the rug from when the vase had broken, if I time it right I could probably use it to stab Tobi and make an escape "wouldn't you rather be with someone who loves you and can give you whatever you ask for? If you were to come with me, be mine, I could give you back your home in Konoha, I would even present you with the entire Fire Country if you so wished" I lashed out at him, from behind the water reacted to my chakra and formed a spear shape that was aimed at his stomach, he raised his eyebrows at both it and me "very interesting technique, your reactions are a little slow though"

"Well I haven't had to do this for two years!" I spat angrily "it's all well and good you saying you love me, but I don't know you, you are not Tobi, you are someone else and therefore a stranger. And I don't make a habit of running off into the sunset with strangers!" he chuckled,

"Smart girl, your parents taught you well"

I snarled "get out! Or I'll run you through!" he purred,

"Danger is merely a turn on"

"Bastard!"

"What do you intend to do? If I leave it will not be for good, and what about all the little marks I've left on you, isn't Deidara bound to notice them?"

"I can heal such minor injuries with ease, even with my lack of medical knowledge"

"And the bite mark on your thigh, what would you say if I told you I'd pumped chakra into it? And that my chakra would simply repel your much weaker Jutsu? Would you be able to hide that from your lover?"

I frowned "I would tell him the truth, you hypnotised me"

"Clever, but it obviously hasn't occurred to you that men are fickle, how will Deidara react when he discovers someone else has touched you in a way he had only previously done? Will he be forgiving? Angry? Upset? I suppose it all depends doesn't it?"

The spear edged closer but he was undeterred "he might even cast you out like some kind of broken toy, Deidara has always been like that with his women, he's slept with hundreds, and once he's through he disposes of them, I saw it a lot back in the Akatsuki"

"Well that is obviously not the case here, because I've lasted much longer than his past girlfriends" I recalled our night in the hotel on my birthday,

He advanced quickly, I barely had time to move out of the way but he grabbed me by my arms and the water fell to the floor "maybe I should just steal you away" he whispered, breath hot on my face "do what he did, kidnap you and maybe eventually you will fall for me like you have him" I tried to wriggle away but he was too strong,

Then, suddenly, I felt the familiar 'ping' of chakra in the distance, Tobi swivelled his eyes to the side "they're back!" I cried,

"Seems as though they broke through my illusion" his fingers tightened on me "now, shall I take you with me now, or return later? The anticipation is a wondrous feeling is it not, my love?" he nuzzled my cheek gently, ignoring my wince "maybe I shall wait for you to come to me" he started laying kisses on my neck "yes, I shall wait"

I flung myself away from him in his momentary lapse, my heel hit a bump in the rug though and I fell backwards, the back of my head slamming into the corner of the coffee table and drawing blood, I collapsed to the floor with a groan, my vision blurred but I could see a pair of feet coming closer,

"Until next time…" they said softly, pecking my temple before everything went black.

* * *

Rose: I have re-written this thing about four times! But finally I think it is done,

Review please!


	52. Stalker

Rose: Thanks for waiting everybody.

Disclaimer: OC's and plot.

Woohoo! I didn't have to skip a week! Don't you love me?

* * *

I cracked my eyes open and groaned lightly as pain flooded my head, reaching up I found that bandages were wrapped around it tightly and at the back I could feel a warm stickiness, obviously some blood had seeped though,

Glancing around I blinked dizzily "oh God…where am I?" I was in the bedroom, on my left was a chair that someone had occupied, they had their elbow on the arm-rest and their chin on their palm snoring lightly, reaching out in the dim light I brushed some of their hair from their face causing them to moan quietly and forced their own cornflower blue eyes open,

Once they focused on me a large grin spread across their face "you're up, un, thank goodness!" I jumped in shock when the blond cupped the back of my head and kissed me forcefully "how are you feeling?"

"Uh…"

"Does your head hurt? Un"

I rubbed the back of it "a little" I answered sheepishly, he ran his fingers through my snowy locks and I felt some hairs catch and break "ow"

"Sorry, un" pulling away I saw the mouth open on his palm and wag its tongue at me, when he caught my dazed look he opened his mouth "are you sure you're alright?" he removed his hand from my grasp and pulled back the curtain to let in the midday sun, the he pressed it to my forehead "there's no temperature, that bump on the head must have just confused you, un"

"Bump?"

This time the man looked worried "yeah, un, Tobi was here and he attacked you. When we arrived you'd been knocked unconscious and there was blood on the floor and the corner of the coffee table, it must have been some hit"

"Yeah" the memories rushed back to me, Tobi had arrived at the house, tried to seduce me and then left after I'd hit the table "that bastard!" I pushed the covers away and stood up shakily "ah…I'm gonna kill him!" Deidara laughed and steadied me when I tripped,

"Leave that to me, un" he pecked my temple and helped to the bathroom,

I was suddenly bombarded with snippets of my conversation with Tobi;

"…_Vanilla…"_

"…_Cinnamon…"_

"…_Fuck you then fall asleep…"_

"Do you…want to take a shower with me?" I asked, looking up at the man, he blinked then laughed,

"Akina, we can do that later, un" I dropped my eyes and nodded, watching him leave the room as I slumped down on the edge of the bath,

"He was right…"

"Of course I was"

I let out a tiny shriek and spun around to see the masked man lying in the tub with his arms behind his head "How did you…what're you-"

"I teleported; and if you really want to take a shower with someone then I'm available"

I grimaced "yeah right!"

"Well…Deidara doesn't seem to care; but I'm always willing to worship you a few times" I threw a bar of soap at his head which he didn't bother to dodge, it bounced off of him and landed on the floor with a dull 'thump' "if you're finished…why don't you strip off and get in the tub?"

"Why can't you leave us alone?"

"Because I love you" scowling down at him I crossed my arms and backed away so I was leaning against the sink "besides, you obviously don't hate me too much"

"Excuse me?"

"You haven't left the room yet" I faltered as I realised he was right and quickly tried to make an escape "run, run as fast as you can, Flower, but you can't escape me as I'll always be here waiting for you to realise your true feelings"

"In the tub?" I raised my eyebrows as I pulled open the door,

"Well, the tub, the bed, the wardrobe, wherever you happen to be and Deidara isn't" I rolled my eyes this time "have you told him about the bite?"

"I was going to tell him in the shower but now I'll just tell him the next time we're alone!"

He chuckled "are you sure that's a good idea? He might get mad and leave you" I growled,

"Fuck off!" I slammed the door behind me and stormed downstairs.

* * *

As much as I wanted to tell him I couldn't help but have Tobi's warning echo in the back of my mind, I'd tried healing the bite mark on my thigh but found that what the man had told me was true, it repelled my chakra and sent a sharp shooting pain through my leg whenever I tried to get rid of it,

"Damn" I cursed "fucking bastard!"

I resorted to covering it with make-up, it took a lot of work but the yellow, blue and purple bruise was finally made invisible, I was just glad it wasn't somewhere like my neck, which would have been nearly impossible to hide,

Now all I had to do was wait for the right moment to tell Deidara the truth without getting him mad.

* * *

I kept telling myself that I'd tell him after;

After lunch,

After dinner,

After brushing my teeth,

After sex…

We weren't quite there yet, I'd just climbed into the bed and Deidara had pounced on me, trying to remove my clothes and kiss my neck at the same time as I was trying to push him away and tell him about what Tobi did,

"Dei! I don't want to!" I shoved him away and panted,

He cocked an eyebrow "you wanted to earlier, un"

I growled "I'm trying to tell you something!" but he was already back to pushing up my shirt "Deidara!" I lifted my foot up and sank it into his stomach; he doubled over and gasped as I regained my breath "right…are you ready to talk now?"

He nodded "yes…" his voice was strained and he was glaring at me lightly,

"First of all…Tobi and I didn't fight, he didn't knock me out and leave like you seem to think! We barely fought at all…at least not physically…mostly we talked, he did at one point try to…seduce me" I chocked out at last words and the mans eyes widened "but I got away but not before he…left a mark on me" I watched as he forced himself onto his knees,

"What do you mean a mark?"

I slipped off my pyjama pants and opened my legs to show him the inside, then I wiped away the make-up gradually to show the bite bruise, his jaw dropped "like I said, this is about as far as he got…his eyes…I don't know what happened but one moment I was cleaning up a broken vase and the next I was-"

"**Shut up**!"

I looked up at the man and bit my lip "Dei-"

"**Shut up**!"

"Please don't be mad at me!" I begged, he growled "just let me finish; I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry I let it get as far as it did but…"

"But what? Un" he spat angrily,

"I'm afraid I couldn't help it because he excited me" I saw his fists clenched "he asked me if our sex life has become boring, I didn't say anything but he already knew the answer, we always do the same thing and for the past few months it's only been about you"

Deidara's voice softened a little "what do you mean 'about me'? I always make you scream! Un"

"I was faking it the other day"

"Huh?"

"And the time before that a couple months ago" his shoulders dropped "I've been dropping hints, I always try to change the position and I invited you into my shower but you never understand, I thought if I left it, it would finally click but…" I sighed "sex is always your thing lately, when you want it I'm supposed to drop everything, lie back and spread my legs and if I say 'no' you sulk, but if I want it and you're not in the mood I'm supposed to just deal with it! Every time it's always missionary and after you're done you fall asleep leaving me unfulfilled! You don't do anything anymore! I want to go back to how we were on the night of our first time when you kissed me all over, to the time after that when you blindfolded me and the time in the hotel when it lasted for hours! Tobi tapped into my weakness and made me feel wanted! He made me feel sexy! I'm sorry I fell for it and I'm sorry if you're mad, you have every right to be but please remember that I never went through it with him, I told him that I'd never cheat on you and you can hold me to that!" I stopped and heaved heavily as I stared at him,

He shifted around "alright, un, we've become boring, you don't like the way I make love anymore and that's fine"

"That's not what I-"

"So if you like the way Tobi makes you feel then maybe you should just go with him instead! Un"

"Deidara!" I cried when he stood up "did you listen to a word I said? I said that I wanted you! I just need more variety in bed; this isn't an attack on you it's an invitation to talk about how we feel!"

He chewed his lip "fine, un, fine, you're feeling neglected and Tobi used that against you. I can understand that, I can deal with that but…but I can't deal with the fact that someone else, especially Tobi, touched you in such an intimate way"

"I knew you'd be mad about that" I mumbled,

"So if I were to…excite you the same way he did, un, would you not feel so unfulfilled?" I smiled and nodded; he ran a hand through his hair and groaned "I don't know what to do; I thought I was doing alright before but now…now I'm just so confused!"

"I'm so sorry" I whispered "I didn't mean-"

"I know, un" he waved me off "it's fine" bending down he hooked a finger into my underwear to pull it down my legs "let's see if this gets you going"

He pushed my knees apart and lowered his head down to my core, I moaned when he ran his tongue over my opening again and again before taking my clit between his teeth to nibble on it lightly and suck, I dug my fingers into the pillow either side of my head and arched my back "oh…oh Dei!" rocking my hips I tried to make him take more of me "oh Dei!" his tongue poked inside and I cried out, gasping at the same time as pleasure spread across my skin in little prickles,

He pulled back and smirked "is that what you wanted?" I nodded and gazed up at him starry eyed, I moaned when the blond started to kiss at my throat, his hair was spreading out and tickling my shoulders; I wrapped my arms around his neck and twisted my head so we could kiss deeply, his own arms found my waist and held me tightly "I'm sorry I got mad, un"

"I'm sorry I made you feel inadequate" I joked, he sniggered before pulling away, I tucked his hair behind his ears "really sorry" he nuzzled my cheek,

"I adore you" I froze "what? Un"

_Oh God…_

"Akina?"

"I just remembered something…"

"What?"

"Oh God…Oh God! He was right! He's never going to leave!"

"Akina? What are you talking about? Un"

"Tobi said he loved me!" I threw out "oh God! That bastard, that fucking bastard; why did he have to ruin everything?"

"Tobi said WHAT? Un"

I tugged at my waist length hair "he said he loved me! Why did he say that?"

"He'd trying to drive us apart, un, that's it!" the blond soothed but I could see he was upset "there's nothing we can do tonight!" I pecked his forehead,

"Okay" I climbed under the duvet again and got comfy after re-dressing "aren't you coming?"

"I'm just going to check the sentries I set up, un" he blew me a kiss before shutting the door,

I rubbed my face "why does everything I say make everything worse?"

"Because Deidara is an egotistical maniac who will never feel for you what I do"

_Oh…shit…_

* * *

Rose: I love leaving it on cliff-hangers, and that's three times Tobi has had the last word in a chapter, haha,

Review please!


	53. Mind Power

Rose: Yay, thanks for reviewing I love you all!

Disclaimer: OC's and plot.

* * *

I kicked out at the man pinning me down with my arms above my head, with a struggle he was able to trap both my legs between his and pause for breath, I panted under him before swearing loudly,

"Go ahead…" Tobi whispered, he wasn't wearing his mask this time "call for help"

I growled "HID-" he cut me off by taking one of his hands and sticking his fingers into my mouth so they were pressing against the back of my throat and threatening to make me choke, when I relaxed he removed them,

"There, now be quiet" I glared at him as I tried to cease the burning in my neck "good, now I suppose you're wondering why I'm here, correct?" I nodded "well, I've decided that what we started the other day isn't over and I'd like to finish it" my eyes widened "I feel it isn't fair to make you choose between Deidara and I without 'testing' us both; which of course means that these pesky clothes must be removed-"

"I told you before! I will not cheat on Deidara!"

He started kissing my chest through my night shirt "willing or not, my love, you will be mine! And if you aren't willing then there's only one alternative"

I twisted to the side and rammed my knee into his groin, he gasped and I took the opportunity to scramble away "my God! What the fuck is wrong with you? Just leave us alone! I don't want you!"

Turning sharply so as to not give him the chance to retort I ran from the bedroom and into the kitchen where Hidan was drinking coffee "what's with you?" he asked in a bored tone,

"Tobi's in my room!" I cried, there was a loud smash as his mug hit the floor "I'm not cleaning that up…"

"Dude! He's in your room? Let me at 'im!" He grabbed the scythe that was beside the front door and sprinted up the stairs,

"Hidan! Immortal or not this guy was the Leader of Akatsuki, he'll kill you!" I followed him up and waited behind him as the door was thrown open "he's gone!"

The silver haired male checked everywhere, under the bed, in the wardrobe, the bathroom before giving up and slouching back downstairs to pray in the garden in despair, I decided the safest place was somewhere where anyone could walk in at any moment and returned to the kitchen to await Deidara,

_I'm such a coward…I got a hit on him though…_

I sniggered lightly at the thought that I'd managed to hit him in his crown jewels just as the blond and the Uchiha came in through the back door, I knew I was them by their footfalls, they looked shocked to see me up "Akina-"

"Tobi was in our room, Hidan went up to attack him but he was already gone. He can teleport, he's told me he can" the two of them gaped,

"Oh…shit…un"

"That's what I thought" I muttered, I saw Itachi activate his Kekkei Genkai and look around but there was nothing, with a shaky sigh I went back up to bed with the Iwa-Nin "he's never going to stop!" I whispered, covering my face "he's never going to let me go!" I felt the man wrap his arms around me and rub my back,

"It's okay, un, we'll find a way to stop him"

"How?"

He didn't answer me.

* * *

_Akina…_

I wrinkled my nose and shifted around in the covers,

_Akina…_

I could hear someone calling me,

_A…kin…a…_

Now it seemed to be getting louder and longer, I opened my eyes and felt my body move of its own accord, I felt like I was a puppet being controlled; my actions were not my own,

_That's right…come downstairs…_

I opened the door to the bedroom and crept down the stairs slowly, some of the wood creaked and echoed around the house but I didn't take much notice, when I reached the bottom I turned and walked mechanically to the back door,

Someone shouted from above me and suddenly all the lights flashed on,

_Faster…unlock it…_

My fingers pulled the chain across and inserted the key into the lock,

_Hurry…hurry…they're coming…_

I heard the click as the door was unlocked,

_Open it…open it now…_

My fingers curled around the handle and began to twist, but before I could pull on it my arm was grabbed tightly and I was yanked back into someone's chest,

_Come to me…come to me my Flower…get rid of them…_

I span on my foot and hit Deidara with a roundhouse kick, then I ducked and tripped Hidan when he lunged for me before jumping up and throwing my leg out, Kisame's nose cracked and he stumbled back holding his face as blood flowed from it,

_Watch out for Itachi…_

As the thought flowed through my mind someone rammed a Kunai into my thigh, I let out a blood chilling scream and collapsed, the thoughts stopped "oh fuck!" I cried out "what the hell?"

Itachi entered my line of sight "Tobi was controlling you" he lifted me up and supported me "did you at any point look into his eyes when he was here the other day?"

"Well…um…"

"Akina, this is of the utmost importance"

"Yes" I admitted "but it was only for a second!"

He sighed "it was enough, Tobi is using his Sharingan to get inside your head and control you" I rubbed my temples,

"Aw geeze, nothing can ever go right for me can it?" he rubbed the top of my head, the moment could have been considered tender if not for the groans of pain from the three males around us, with a gasp I leapt over to the blond and kissed his swollen cheek as Itachi healed his partners nose "I'm sorry, are you alright?"

Deidara grunted "sure, un, you merely almost broke my jaw" I laughed and he grinned but winced a little so I kissed him again, Itachi set the locks once more and bent down to heal the cut on my leg he'd caused,

"He won't dare come in if we're all here, we just have to keep an eye out from now on" I helped the blond to his feet,

"Sorry guys" I apologised bashfully, the two others I'd hit mumbled curses under their breath and went back to bed,

"They're just embarrassed" the dark haired man explained with a smirk, Deidara draped an arm over my shoulder and we followed after them, Itachi close behind, when back in the bedroom I waited as the blond set some clay into the cracks of the door,

"This way you won't even be able to sleepwalk out of this room, un" I pulled him down onto the mattress and we wrapped our arms around each other securely, he buried his nose into my hair "don't go scaring me like that" he pecked my lips "I don't want to think about what would have happened if Itachi hadn't stopped you"

I snuggled down "it's good, it's all good" tucking the duvet around us I kissed his neck softly "God…why do all the bad things happen when we think we're okay?" he chuckled and then sighed, I ran my hand across his cheek and pumped in my chakra to reduce the swelling, he let his eyes fall and cuddled up to me even more,

"I'm not letting you go until morning, un" he muttered, twitching his arms "and I'm expecting to sleep in" I laughed.

* * *

He really was serious about the sleeping in thing; he didn't wake until eleven and didn't get up till midday, I finally managed to rouse him by peppering him with kisses, but he then followed me into the bathroom demanding to share my shower with me, which I eventually relented to on the condition we only made out and there was no sex,

"Where's Abir? Un" he asked as he washed the last of the shampoo from his hair,

I rubbed the soap over my shoulders "I summoned him after you fell asleep and sent him to live with the wild dogs for a while; I figured they know the surrounding area better than us"

He hummed from behind me and slipped his arms around my naked waist "makes sense…" he nuzzled the top of my head,

"Dei…"

"I'm just copping a feel, un" he chuckled, running his hand over my stomach and licking the water from my neck "hm…you're so beautiful" I leant back in his embrace and slid an arm around his neck, the blond moaned lightly and cupped a breast making me shiver,

"OI! DEIDARA! AKINA!"

The Iwa-Nin ignored Kisame's hollering and continued to try and flirt with me, I however replied "what is it?"

He banged on the door "lunch is ready!"

"Kay-kay!" I giggled, his footsteps echoed down the hall and vanished "Dei, he said lunch is on"

"My lunch is right here, un" he sniggered, removing the hand from my chest to twist me around and pin me to the wall,

"Oh honestly" I rolled my eyes but then they widened into saucers when he got down on his knees "what're you-"

He separated my thighs a little bit and then started to lick at my core; I bent over and clutched at his long hair, moaning loudly as I did "you like that? Un"

"Ah…ah…ah…" I panted "Dei that feels so good!" he moved away and trailed his tongue over my hip, dipping it into my belly button as he went, I whined when he stopped and stood up, cushioning the back of my head with his arm and lifting up my leg with the other "you're such a pain"

The male laughed and rubbed me with his length "sure you wanna leave? Un, I'll make it worth your while" I gripped his shoulders,

"Oh…be quick!"

* * *

The blue skinned Nin chewing on a sandwich at the table looked up when we entered the kitchen "hey, what took you?"

"Um…I had to wait for the water to heat up before I could finish my shower"

He bought it and inclined towards his ex-team-mate "where've you been?"

"In heaven, un"

"Huh?"

"I mean…checking the sentries, un"

"Oh"

We caught each others gaze and flushed brightly, he smirked and grabbed one of the other sandwiches on the side; I mimicked him and ate it bit by bit by pulling off the crusts before eating it properly "where're Itachi and Hidan?"

"Sleeping, they got up early to go scout so now they're resting up"

I finished my food and dusted my hands "did they…find anything?"

Kisame rubbed his lip "sorry, wherever he is he's hiding well" my shoulders dropped and I sighed, Deidara stood by the door with his gaze fixed to the floor and chewing slowly "we'll find 'im, don't worry"

"Yeah…I've got Abir out there as-well with the dogs, if they can't find him…" I trailed off, not wanting to continue,

Deidara jumped in "we're just going to have to wait; we have the advantage! Un, he never shows up when there's someone around and he's the one out there in the wild"

From outside a sharp bleating was heard that signalled Nana was hungry, the blond followed me when I went to feed her; bending down I nuzzled her soft white fur and rubbed her back "hello" I greeted,

"Akina, we shouldn't dawdle, un, especially when Itachi's not here" I nodded in defeat and bid the pet goodbye before following him back into the house.

* * *

Rose: Kinda slow and short this time, sorry, it will pick up either next chapter or the one after it.

Review please!


	54. Confrontation

Rose: Yay! New chapter, love you all!

Disclaimer: OC's and plot.

It should start picking up now, enjoy!

* * *

**CRASH! BANG! SMASH! **

Deidara and I both shot up in the bed as the noises echoed from outside, together we grabbed our clothes and filed into the hallway where the others were "what's going on?" I panted, brushing the hair from my eyes,

"Tobi is attacking" Itachi muttered,

Hidan and Deidara groaned "he hasn't make a fucking move in two months!" the Steam-Nin growled "why now?"

"He was waiting for us to lower our guard" I answered before Itachi had the chance "and lead us into a false sense of security" the blond clenched his fists "what should we do?"

"As long as he doesn't enter the house we should just sit tight" the Uchiha took charge "it's too dangerous for us to try anything in the middle of the night" we accepted defeat and the others went back into their shared room, I rubbed my forehead,

"I don't feel well" the Iwa-Nin rubbed my back and smiled sadly,

I leant back into his chest "did you want some tea? Un" I clutched my stomach and nodded before following him downstairs, the noises were still going on and we were both wondering what on earth Tobi could be doing to cause so much disruption, when the kettle had boiled the male handed me a mug of green tea, I sipped it carefully as we returned to bed "is it your stomach?" I nodded again and sat down slowly, the mug in my lap,

He sat down behind me and kissed my cheek whilst stroking my shoulder "my head hurts too" I pinched the bridge of my nose and sighed, he pecked my cheek again and moved down my neck "Dei…" he hummed "what're you doing?"

"Taking you mind off of your problems, un"

I finished my drink and placed the cup on the bedside table "it's not working" climbing under the covers I heard him give a sound of disappointment before he did the same and wrapped his arms around me,

"You didn't even give it a chance! Un"

I elbowed him "I'm not in the mood!"

"You haven't been in the mood since the shower, un"

I chuckled "you're such a sex-oholic" he laughed and snuggled into my chest, the crashes from earlier seemed to have ceased but it still took me a long time to fall asleep.

* * *

The full extent of the damage was revealed early the next morning;

Nana was gone.

The gate had been chopped and broken and part of the fence was demolished, it was unlikely that Tobi had taken her himself, the more probable explanation was that she got scared and bolted when the opening was flashed to her. I bit my lip and kicked a plank of wood out of the way; Deidara draped an arm around my shoulders and lay his head on mine before helping me to clean up and leaning the wood against the wall "we'll find her, un, or Abir will; he won't let anything get her"

I rubbed my forehead "I'm not in the right mindset for this crap, I'm ill, I'm stressed, there's a madman chasing me…I just want it all to end!"

I felt his fingers clench into my shirt before he sighed "we'll think of something, un, please don't upset yourself" I moaned "why don't you go back to bed?"

I did just that, but I didn't sleep, stretched out in the large bed I stared up at the ceiling with half-lidded eyes and a bored expression, Deidara came up every couple of hours to check on me, chiding me when he saw I was awake each time, I merely sighed each time and explained that I was too stressed and that I didn't feel well enough to relax,

I hadn't eaten all day either; my meals were placed by the bed but the smell of them was repulsing me to no end, around six in the evening the blond cleared them away in exasperation and lay down beside me to hug my form "Petal…" he whispered "how are you feeling? Un"

"Sick…" I forced out slowly "between sleepwalking these past weeks and a loss of appetite I've becoming so drained" he kissed me behind the ear, making me giggle lightly,

"We'll think of-"

"Stop saying that!" I turned and glared at the male "you've been saying that for two months but have you gone through with it? NO! So please, either put up or shut up because I've had enough!" I flopped down and buried my face into my pillow to sob "I'm so tired!" he pressed his forehead between my shoulders,

"I'm sorry I keep saying 'we'll think of something' but I really do believe we will, un, the best plans will come to us; we just need to wait" I sniffed,

"I hate it when you're so calm even when I blow up at you"

"If we're being honest, un, it actually turns me on" I burst into laughter "and I hate arguing with you so I usually think it's easiest to just apologise, even if I don't know what I've done"

I laughed harder if possible "Dei…I really like you sometimes" as I was speaking I saw him stiffen expectantly but when my sentence ended his shoulders dropped "are you alright?"

"Yeah, un, I just…I thought you were going to say something else"

"What?"

He shook his head, golden locks bouncing "nothing, un" I stroked his cheek,

"You're so odd" he pressed his lips to my nose "any news? The others went out earlier didn't they?"

"Still haven't found him or the goat, un, though they did find Abir and tell him what happened"

I breathed out "that's good I suppose" he frowned sadly,

"Akina, I don't like seeing you like this, un" I blinked "I just wish there was something I could do"

I lay my head on his shoulder and curled into him "I guess we just have to wait and see"

He tied his arms around me and buried his nose into my hair "yeah…"

* * *

It was later that night when I felt the familiar tug at the back of my mind which indicated that Tobi was trying to take control; to stop him I woke myself up by climbing out of the bed, Deidara moaned lightly in his dream driven state and hugged onto a pillow he was mistaking for me; I strolled to the kitchen and was surprised to see the light on and was even more shocked when I found Itachi sitting at the table, he looked up when I entered and smiled weakly, I took a seat opposite him,

"Good evening" he greeted,

"Hey…" I sighed "Itachi, I need your help"

He blinked "with what?"

Rubbing my forehead I locked eyes with the older male "you haven't found Tobi because I haven't been with you, I'm who he wants, so if I'm out there he'll show his face. I need you to come with me out to look for him"

"Akina-"

"I know it sounds stupid and dangerous…but I figure that fighting with him should be a last resort, especially if he's as powerful as you say, I want to try talking to him but I know Deidara would never agree to it so I want you to go with me"

He tapped his fingers against the wood "this is an unpredictable plan"

"I know"

"You could be kidnapped if something goes wrong"

"Wouldn't be the first time" I shrugged,

The dark haired man lowered his gaze and remained silent for a few minutes "very well. I'll give you an hour to find him and talk"

I grinned and grabbed my coat from the hanger by the front door, pulling it over my shirt and tugging on my shoes I followed Itachi to the back door where he silently unlocked it; for a May night it was cold and windy but other than that the environment was fine,

Walking side by side we vanished into the trees and darkness.

* * *

"We've been walking for forty-five minutes; I think it's time to head back" I blinked up at Itachi before sighing tiredly,

"Yeah…I guess you're right…" we'd walked through the valley behind the house and arrived at a clearing after half an hour of walking, we'd continued on from there but so far the trees only seemed to be getting thicker and the moonlight was becoming sparse,

As we turned back around there came a crack from the left and the 'chink' of metal hitting a trunk, the two of us span around and stiffened, the Uchiha activated his Kekkei Genkai and I watched his lips drop into a frown "it's him"

I brushed my hair from my face just as an orange mask stepped into one of the few available spots of moonlight "Tobi!" I cried, moving forwards until I was only a few feet from him, Itachi tried to call me back but I ignored him,

"Someone's happy to see me" he muttered "what brings you to my humble abode?"

I hesitated before answering "we need to talk"

"About…?"

He crossed his arms "everything" I said coldly, his head cocked to one side,

"I don't quite know what's going on…but if we're to talk, then it must be privately" he motioned to his kinsmen behind me, I looked back and gulped,

"Fine…but he has to remain close by, within sight or near enough so that if you try to do anything-"

He waved me off "agreed" grabbing my hand he lead me into the trees where he'd come from, behind them and hidden amongst the thicket was a small cave, Itachi had to wait outside as we ventured in, it was a rather deep cave, but not so tall, my head was close to brushing the ceiling when I sat down by the little fire he'd made,

"This is quite a step-down from Ame" I joked,

Tobi hummed "yours is the only house in the surrounding area, I had to live somewhere. Which reminds me…where is your lovely husband?"

"He's not my husband" I whispered under my breath, the man ignored me "and he doesn't know I'm here, he would never had agreed to me being alone with you"

"Hm. What did you want to talk about?"

I looked up to see he'd removed his mask and placed it by his leg, I clenched my fingers into my pyjama pants "I want you to leave us alone" he cocked an ebony eyebrow "I'm serious! The sleepwalking, the attacks, demolishing the goat pen, it's making me ill" I saw his back straighten "I haven't eaten all day, I can't sleep because I can feel you in my head, I keep thinking I'm going to throw up every five minutes. If you really cared about me, if you really loved me, then you'd stop all this and let me be!"

He was fishing around in a little brown bag as I spoke, when I finished he pulled out some kind of thick bread and handed it to me "it's not good if you don't eat" I took the bread but didn't eat it, I couldn't help but smile lightly "I do love you Akina, more than life itself, I can't live without you; I won't be able to exist unless you're with me, and that's why I can't, why I won't, stop pursuing you"

"But I don't want to be with you in that sense" he frowned deeply "even if you kidnap me, even if you killed Deidara…which I know you're planning to, I can see it on your face…it won't change anything"

"Akina-"

"If you're so dead set on this, why haven't you just taken me already? You've had plenty of opportunities!"

"I want you to be willing, I want you to want to be with me"

I snorted "so mind control counts as willing?"

"I got impatient...but once Deidara is gone-"

"There is no 'once Deidara is gone'! I told you, it won't change a thing!"

There was a long silence; only broken by the crackling of the fire "he got to you first…"

I shook my head "it's not a case of 'getting me'! I've always thought of you as just a friend, I'll never be able to think of you as anything else now, but…if you insist on continuing this stupid goal of yours then…then I don't want anything to do with you!" he remained silent "you were the one who forced Deidara and I together and now you're trying to separate us; you've done terrible things to me Tobi, you permanently scarred me, you caused me vicious nightmares, you made me miscarry but…I'm willing to forgive everything if you stop this now"

"You love him"

"Tobi-"

"Don't try to deny it; you love him, that's why you're so dead-set on staying with him. I don't understand; I'm probably **the** most powerful man on earth, I could give you the entire world, I could make you a Queen but…you'd rather have…**this**?" he swept his arm to the entrance of the cave "some shack on the Cliffside? A pseudo-farm? I never took you for the boring white picket fence type"

I laughed a little "don't misunderstand me Tobi, I don't love Deidara…but he's special to me; the same way as Itachi, Hidan and Kisame are special to me, the same way all my friends back in Konoha and Suna are special to me…and you, you were my first real friend in Akatsuki, you'll always have a place in my heart but…not the place you want. So please, please stop this"

He turned his head away from me "no" my shoulders dropped "I refuse to give up"

My gaze lowered to the fire, the red burning into my blue orbs "I'm really sorry to hear that" I stood up and began to leave, when I was outside I turned to Itachi and looked up at him with a sad expression,

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah…let's go, talking didn't solve anything. I was an idiot to think it would" he rubbed my shoulder as we began walking in the direction of home,

"It took a lot of bravery to confront him and try to negotiate; it takes a strong person to refuse to fight"

I nodded "thanks"

"AKINA!"

We stopped and snapped around to see Tobi making his way towards us, Itachi pushed me behind him a little bit but he was effortlessly shoved aside, I gripped a Kunai tightly in anticipation "yes?" I saw his hand clench and shake with force, a cold shiver ran down my spine and I immediately tried to back away; I wasn't fast enough however before his fist sunk into my stomach "AHH!"

I screamed and collapsed to my knees coughing up blood, I saw his feet twist as he strolled off as if nothing had happened "I'll be launching an attack at the end of the week so…yeah" I wrapped an arm around the area he'd attacked and struggled to breath, my comrade was at my side pulling open my coat and already pumping chakra into the spot,

"Breath, breath Akina!"

"I'm…t…try…ing" I choked out painfully, he lay me on my back and continued healing the bruised point,

"Shit, you're bleeding from your…holy fuck!"

I'd never heard Itachi so panicked and I also couldn't remember him ever using such coarse language, whatever was wrong was obviously very bad "w…wh...at?"

"Akina you're bleeding from your uterus!" I blinked slowly "there's a concentration of chakra…I've seen it before…"

"Wh…at…s…wr…ong?"

"You're pregnant!" I convulsed in shock "calm down! Calm down! I think I can save it if we act fast" the warm glow of chakra filled my belly and my eyes closed softly "it's still there…but for how long I don't know. We need to return, now! There's a fifty-fifty chance of this continuing onto a full miscarriage either now or at a later date" he lifted me into his arms,

"Dei…dara's…going…to…find…out…now…"

"I think that's the least of your worries Akina"

"He's…gon…na…be…so…m…ad" I coughed,

The wind rustled through my hair and caressed my cheeks as the man ran "did you know?"

"I had…a hunch…about…a…month ago when…I missed a period, but…I didn't have any symptoms…like last time so…I just thought…it was…due to…stress" it was becoming easier to speak the further we went but I still felt like I was going to faint any second "I just…put it to…the back of my…mind"

"We're almost there now, don't worry I won't let you lose it…and I won't let Deidara yell at you either"

I laughed tiredly "good luck…with that…"

And then everything went black.

* * *

Rose: I've started making the chapters longer again for you, I realise they've been a little short these past few so I hope you enjoyed the extra two pages, hehe,

Review please!


	55. Confessions

Rose: Yay! New chapter!

Disclaimer: OC's and Plot.

There's a surprise in this chapter, and I think you'll all like it! Hehe!

* * *

I could hear a faint buzzing in my ears as I slowly regained consciousness, I whimpered quietly and forced my eyes open one at a time, my arms stretched over my head before I went to sit up but a sharp pain stopped me, crying out I flopped back onto the mattress and groaned,

Then an unpleasant scent invaded my nose, I gagged a little when wet dog made itself known to my senses; I was in Abir's room,

"Great, I'm probably covered in dog hair"

From outside I heard faint voices, footsteps too; the latter stopped outside the door though the voices continued to argue;

"You know how close this was?" the first growled "don't you dare yell at her!"

"And why the hell not? Un" the second spat,

"Because she's absolutely terrified, this was beyond her control you can't blame her!"

"Like hell I can't, un, if it was beyond her control she should never have attempted it!"

"That's incredibly hypocritical for a Ninja"

The door was thrown open and the two men stepped in, the one on the right with dark hair and the one on the left with golden locks and holding a glass of water, I forced myself into a sitting position, ignoring the burning hot pain that spread over my belly and leant against the headboard, the two of them were at my side in an instant with worried expressions, although Deidara's had a hint of anger mixed into his "hey guys" I laughed, wincing slightly, I was handed the water which I sipped slowly,

"No yelling" Itachi ordered the blond sternly "and you!" he pointed at me "no getting out of that bed for anything! Understand?"

"What if-"

"Deidara will carry you" he shut the door behind him softly and I was left alone with my partner,

I kept my eyes on the glass in my hands "so…"

"**How could you have been so stupid?**" the Iwa-Nin hissed lowly "**do you have any idea what could have happened? Do you know how scared I was?**"

"Dei-"

"**I thought I was going to lose you! I thought you were going to die!**" he continued, I watched as his nails dug into his palms and drew blood,

"Dara!" it was obvious he wanted to shout and scream at me but was afraid of what Itachi would do if he did "I'm pregnant!"

"**And another thing**…wait, what?" I blushed and repeated what I'd said in a quieter tone, he blinked at me with dark blue eyes and all his remaining fury died in his throat "I…I…"

I waited for him to show some kind of reaction but he just stood beside me stuttering "Deidara" I tried to reach out for him but it burned my stomach and he saw the pain on my face,

"Akina! Un" he was kneeling on the mattress with his hands hovering over the spot he knew must hurt, but he was hesitant to touch me "are you really…"

"Pregnant?" I finished for him with a smile, he nodded and I mimicked him "yeah"

"H…How far along? Un" his hands were still floating an inch from my belly,

I covered them and forced them down, he twitched when they met with the warmth that pushed through the duvet "about two months" I answered,

He gave a short chuckle "our kid was made in the shower, un" my smile widened a little, his fingers clutched onto the blanket "when did you find out?"

"After Tobi…hit me, Itachi tried to heal me because I was bleeding, he found it then, I did suspect about a month ago but I just thought it was stress or something that had caused my cycle to stop" he kept his eyes trained on my face, one of the hands I'd been holding slipped away and stroked my cheek,

"I really thought I was going to lose you, un" he whispered "I was so frightened"

"What…happened?"

"Itachi came running in at stupid-o-clock with you in his arms shouting something about Tobi and you, un, there was…blood everywhere and he wouldn't tell us anything. What did you think you were doing out there?"

My eyes began to tear up "I wanted to resolve everything without fighting" I admitted "if it comes down to a fight between you and Tobi…I just know that he'll be the winner and…and I don't want you to die!" hot, fat tears dripped down my cheeks, his palm lapped them up, I dumped the water on the bedside table, it splashed a little but I didn't care, and threw my arms around his neck and held him close "I don't want to lose you, not ever!" his hands remained where they were but I could feel his lips part against my ear as he exhaled shakily and pulled away,

His thumb brushed the final drops from my skin as he forced a smile for me, my lips quirked "Akina…" he whispered, pushing the glass of water back into my grasp "drink, un, you need to stay hydrated; you lost a fair amount of blood" I pressed my forehead to his shoulder and closed my eyes, cradling the drink carefully, the blond ran a hand through my hair and I felt the mouth catch on some strands,

When he pulled back he cupped my hands and used them to guide the liquid to my lips "Dei…" I sighed,

He smirked "drink, un" he repeated, I did as he said and swallowed a single mouthful, he seemed satisfied with that at least, I pecked his cheek "pregnant, huh?" I nodded "but you haven't had any…weird cravings? Or…vomiting?" he asked slyly,

I giggled "the other day I couldn't eat, the smell kept putting me off" Deidara pouted,

"That's boring, un" I smiled warmly as his hands returned to my stomach "no…bump yet?"

"Not for another month or two" this time he frowned "what?"

"Tobi…" I nodded,

"Of course…" a thought struck me "oh! Oh! Oh! Deidara, Tobi told me he's planning to attack at the end of the week!" he stared at me like I'd just grown another head,

"What? Why the fuck would he tell you that?" I shrugged "it must be a trap…we've got to tell the others, un" although he said it he made no move to get up and seemed content with stroking my stomach "do you think it will be a boy or a girl?" his voice had softened, I shrugged,

"I have no idea; to be honest I don't mind"

"I want a girl, un" of course I'd known that for a long time "and I want her to be so tiny I could cradle her in one arm"

I laughed lightly "I hope she's tiny too" he glanced up at me and I place the palms of my hands on my hips before lifting them, creating a kind of measurement with the space between them "narrow hips; not known for easy births" I saw worry flash in his eyes for a moment but it vanished quickly,

"We'll have to turn one of these rooms into a nursery, un, I want those guys out anyway…maybe we should build an extension"

"Sounds like a plan" I agreed, we fell silent once more, but it wasn't a pleasant silence, it was awkward; Deidara was fidgeting, shifting his feet on the floor and squeezing his fingers on the duvet, his eyes were dilated and his nostrils flared, I could even see sweat forming on his upper lip and forehead as he struggled with some kind of internal dilemma;

I took another gulp of water for the sake of doing something,

"I love you"

The water stopped halfway down my throat before I spat it back out in a flurry of droplets and started to hack violently, he patted my back and we both ignored the glass as it fell to the floor and smashed, littering the area with tiny shards that reflected the sunlight from outside to create tiny rainbows on the walls, it could have considered pretty, or even romantic, if I wasn't so preoccupied with the man in-front of me,

"Wh…what?"

Deidara turned his head to the side and flushed deeply "don't make me say it again, un"

"Since when?" I was vaguely aware of my fingers intertwining with his,

"It was after we left for Ame but…but before our first time, un" he confessed "I remember waking up one morning, looking over at you and feeling this warmth in my chest that had never been there before"

I gasped; that long?

"I've wanted to tell you, un, I've been trying for what feels like forever but…but every time I got close something would happen, we'd be interrupted or I'd chicken out" he tugged away from me but didn't unwind our hands "I'd become resolved, I just figured I'd never tell you and we could continue playing happy families, but it welled up inside me until even complete strangers could see how I felt, the only person who never noticed was the one person I wanted to"

"Deidara…" I whispered, he wiped at his eyes furiously and laughed shortly,

"I must look so ridiculous, huh?" he sniffed "it's not exactly your…dream, is it?"

"Dreams change" he sniffed again "don't cry…"

His eyes were watery, I kissed his cheek tenderly and he wrapped his arms around me in a protective manner "I don't care if you don't feel the same way, un" he sobbed loudly "I just…I just want you know that I think of you as something more than…a possession or a toy…or a late night moan" he whispered the last part,

"I know you don't think of me like that, you've been telling me you adore me for over a year now…but I never imagined that you'd…" I had to cut myself off because I couldn't say it "Dei…I don't-"

"I know" he breathed "I know you don't feel the same, un, I'm not surprised to be honest, everything I've done to you; you'd be insane to love me"

"You really don't care? It really doesn't bother you?" he scowled in thought,

"No, un, it doesn't bother me, like I said; you'd have to be insane to love me after what I've done to you"

I shook my head, white locks flying "it does bother you! I can see it in your eyes…I…I can learn to love you!" I consoled "I'm sure I can-"

"NO!" he stood up and clenched his fists angrily "it's not love if you have to force yourself! Un, and don't even try it because you'll only end up hating me and…and I wouldn't be able to live with myself if that happened! I can't stand the idea of pushing you around any more! If you don't love me then fine! Just don't try and make yourself love me because that's even worse!"

After his outburst he stood panting in the centre of the room glaring at nothing; after a couple minutes he let out a roar and threw a punch at the wall by the doorway, it didn't break a hole through it was the wood did splinter, the Nin swore loudly and hugged his now bleeding knuckles to his chest, I motioned him back over to me where he lay down as I picked out the little pieces of shrapnel and healed the grazes and indents on his palms,

When I looked up after finishing, I saw he'd fallen asleep.

* * *

Rose: Good God, I'm crying! I'm actually crying! I'm sitting in the living room with tears in my eyes and my parents are staring at me with WTF looks on their faces; I hope you're happy! Now I'm going to go find a tissue!

Review please!


	56. Timer

Rose: Hahahaha! Thank you for all the reviews last chapter, I was waiting for what you would all say with glee.

Disclaimer: OC's and plot.

* * *

"…and then I rammed my spike though my stomach and WHOOSH! Out pours every ounce of blood from the guys stomach and I laughed and said 'serves you right you fucker' and of course Kakuzu's just standing there like a damn moron, until-"

"Hidan! Un" the silver haired male stopped his story and craned his neck to look at the door where Deidara was standing with his arms crossed "don't go scaring her with one of your gruesome stories!"

"I wasn't fucking scaring her!" he defended before glaring at me "was I?" I shook my head,

"No" Deidara snorted and slapped Hidan on the back of the neck after coming closer,

"Fucking shit head!"

"Out! Un" I waved to him and smiled, he did the same to me and then flipped the bird to the blond, who kicked the door shut with a growl,

"Where were you this morning?" I asked softly "you fell asleep here but when I woke up you were gone" I was still in Abir's room, he turned his face away and I saw a faint blush on his cheeks,

"It…it wasn't a dream was it? Un" I blinked up at his curiously "last night when I…confessed…it was real…" I nodded slowly as he slapped his face and groaned "no! No! No! No!"

I shifted in the bed "Deidara?"

"I never wanted to tell you! Un, this is going to ruin everything! We've worked so hard to make everything perfect and now I've gone and fucked it all up!" his back was to me, dirty blond hair falling down his spine in knots, more being created as he clenched his fingers into it "GOD DAMNIT!"

"Dei-"

"I told you once before, un, our first time when you started talking about Gaara and I got upset! I hid my face in you chest and muttered something, I was telling you I loved you! You didn't hear and I couldn't decide if I was happy or mad…" he continued on his rant for a couple more minutes "FUCK!" he screamed "WHY AM I SO STUPID?"

"Deidara!" I flung my legs over the side and tried to reach him, he was only about a foot away but when I placed my feet on the floor and stood up, pain surged through my stomach and I collapsed,

He spun around in a flurry and crouched down next to me "Akina! What are you doing? Un, Itachi said don't get out of bed!" I smiled weakly at him,

"I wanted to give you a hug" my voice came out as a dim whisper "to make you feel better" he pressed his cheek into my snowy hair and pulled me into his arms, when he stood up I wrapped my own around his neck,

"I'm not good enough for you, un" he breathed, fluttering the blond bags that hung over his face, I pushed them behind his ear,

With a smile I replied coyly "you keep thinking that" he pecked my nose and hugged me to his chest a little tighter,

"Maybe we should run away again, un" I stared at him in surprise "do what we did last time, don't tell anyone, leave in the middle of the night and find somewhere else"

My eyes dropped closed "and when Tobi finds us again?" he flinched "I thought so…" I felt another jab of pain and winced, when it passed through to Deidara he placed me back on the bed and rubbed my belly,

"Don't go putting yourself or the baby at risk, un" he ordered lowly "I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to either of you" I tucked my legs under me and watched him silently.

* * *

Deidara remained with me for the entire night, the bed was small, like that base in Grass we stayed in during our first night out of Akatsuki, but we managed to cuddle up tightly, when I awoke after feeling another splinter of agony in my stomach I found his front flush against my back, leaving not even a slither of space between us, one arm was wrapped around my head and the other hand managed to slide up my shirt to lay his large hand over my womb,

His nose was lodged into my shoulder and I heard him sigh in his sleep, the tongue of his palm poked into my belly-button subconsciously; making me giggle. I was able to roll over so that his hand was now on the small of my back and we were face to face, I traced his cheek with my fingers before touching his lips lightly, they puckered in his sleep and I watched as his teeth grazed over the tip gently "Akina…" I heard him whisper and he pulled me closer, if possible "I…you…un" I couldn't quite make out what he was saying,

"Hm?" I hummed as my arms tied around his waist, he parted his mouth again and muttered some more,

"Want…you…" a smiled tugged at my cheeks "love…" it dropped instantly,

"I can't" I whispered, his nose crinkled as he dreamt,

"Want…love…un" I breathed a heavy sigh and kissed his face a couple times, he smirked and moaned lightly when I pressed my mouth to his "oh…oh…" I knew what was happening now, whatever he happened to be dreaming about before had changed into something involving sex, I was proved correct when I felt something hard push into my thigh "Akina…"

His fingers curled and uncurled in my hair and on my back but other than that he didn't give any indication he was having an erotic dream; I smiled and pressed my forehead onto his shoulder,

Everything just seemed to make sense, I thought it did beforehand but with Deidara's confession I was recalling memories from our time in Akatsuki that I'd never thought twice about before, it was like I'd completed a puzzle only to discover it was really just the corner and there were more pieces; his sudden attitude change in Ame when compared to the Konoha Base, and here I thought I was just because I'd gotten a little ill, the clingy-ness that I'd put down to jealously was him wanting to be with me more often, the presents weren't to try and buy me, they were to show me that he cared, the stuttering the night after our first time and in the hotel, he'd been trying to let me know for ages and I'd never picked up the hints…and…now…

_He wants me to love him…_

I seethed "God…Jashin…Buddha…will one of you **please** let me fall in love with Deidara? It's hurting him that I don't feel the way he does for me and…and I want to love him…as more than a friend!" I could feel hot tears welling up in my eyes,

"Petal…?" I raised my head, Deidara never called me by my nickname in his dreams "you okay? Un" his eyes were unfocused and I watched him rub them, afterwards he ran a finger under my own eye "you're crying" he whispered,

Sniffing lightly I tried to stem the flow of water "I…feel t…terrible!"

"Is it your stomach? Un, does it hurt?" his hand slipped between us to stroke my skin, I shook my head,

"N…no" I sniffed again "you r…really love me b…but I don't love you and it…it's really hurting you"

"Akina…"

"I w…want to be in l…love with you!" I cried, his mouth dropped open "I want us t…to be a real f…family"

He shushed me gently and ran his fingers through my snowy locks "we are a real family, un, we are! It doesn't matter if you don't love me; the fact that you want to is good enough!"

"N…no it's n…not" I argued "how d…did you k…know you were in l…love with me?"

He frowned "I don't think it's something that can be explained, un, I just looked at you one day and knew exactly how I felt; I know it sounds cliché but whenever I saw you I'd get this warm fuzzy feeling in my chest and butterflies in my stomach, my heart would pound and when you smiled, no matter what mood I was in, it just lit me up, un"

"I…I don't think I g…get any of those feelings"

"Well, baring in mind this is how I felt a year and a half ago, un, those feelings have dimmed down now but I still…still love you"

"Oh God…" I moaned, covering my face "I'm s…such a horrible p…person! I feel l…like I've b…been leading you on!"

"No, no you haven't you-" he froze "…why do I have really early morning wood? Un" I blushed,

"I…um…k…kissed you in your s…sleep" he cocked an eyebrow "s…sorry" he quirked the corners of his lips up before holding my chin and pushing his mouth down onto mine, I ran my hand over his cheek and parted my lips for him so he could slip his tongue inside,

He pulled back after a minute and shifted positions so he was on his back and I was lying on-top of him, head on his shoulder and legs between his, he wrapped his arms around me and sighed "I can feel your stomach pulsing, un" he whispered, I wiped away the last of my tears "this is both scary and amazing"

"It's not supposed to pulse" I answered back "Itachi says it's a side effect of his healing chakra and the excess blood pumping to that area that's causing it"

"As long as it's okay…as long as it survives, un"

We were silent for a little while long before I spoke again "do you think I'm old enough?"

"Hm?"

"To have a baby?" I elaborated "do you think nineteen is old enough?"

He chuckled "you were going to have the other one at seventeen, un, I think you'll be fine"

"But the last time we had Konan…Itachi may be the only one here with any experience of Medical Jutsu but he doesn't hold a tee to her"

"One obstacle at a time, un, first we have to get through Tobi" I nuzzled his neck, he kissed the top of my head and slowly I was able to drift back off to sleep.

* * *

The days passed slowly, I remained in the bed until the seventh day after the accident where I pushed away from the still snoring Deidara and forced myself to stand, when no stabbing pain formed in my stomach I knew I was on my way to recovery,

I rubbed the back of my head and stumbled to the door, when out in the hall I smiled and congratulated myself before making my way to my bedroom, my real bedroom, I could tell by the way the sheets had collected a thin layer of dust that Deidara had not slept on the bed since I'd been moved to Abir's room, I grabbed a towel and peeked into the bathroom cautiously in-case a certain dark haired maniac was lurking in the bathtub I currently wanted to use,

When there was no sign of him I filled said tub and sunk low into scentless water, it wasn't too hot, but was warm enough to sooth the slightly cramped muscles of my back and arms from sleeping in such tight positions, I kept an ear out for any peepers, but since today was **the day **I had to assume he had better things to do that spy on a barely able pregnant woman while she bathed, though I wouldn't have been surprised to find him after pulling the curtain back,

I peeked through it as the thought ran through my head…he wasn't there,

Breathing a sigh of relief I pulled the plug and wrapped a towel around my form, as I stepped back into the bedroom and felt an ache begin to form in my belly and grimaced, it was bearable and no where near as painful as before, it was uncomfortable but ignorable,

Next I dressed myself in my Anbu leggings and sandals and a sleeveless black shirt, I attached the pouch to the hem of my pants and my kunai holder to my right leg, with a deep breath I stretched my fingers out in-front of me and flexed my chakra, I hadn't used it for such a long time so no doubt I was out of practice, but feeling that familiar tingle as the energy flowed through me I knew that it would only take a couple minutes and it would all come back to me,

I trotted down the stairs, amazed to see that no one was up yet, and into the kitchen, outside it was quiet and calm, looking out of the window towards the trees I could see that the leaves were still; there was no wind,

My fingers gripped the counter tightly, my muscles were tense but I was wide awake and raring to go. In order to calm myself I set myself to making breakfast and make it I did, toast, bacon, eggs, porridge, pancakes, after placing it all on the table and finding myself still uneasy I pulled out even more ingredients and started mixing them in a bowl, I even managed to find Hidan's secret stash of chocolate, located behind Kisame's stash of Sake, next to Itachi's stash of hard candy, not the best hiding place, why did they all put them in the same cupboard? Of course Deidara didn't hide food; he hid clay, usually under the bed,

Melting down a bar of cocoa I poured it into my cake mix and stirred it around before placing it in the oven, as I shut the door to it the stairs creaked and my bed-mate slouched into the room "morning, un" he greeted, looking over the array of meals on the table he cocked a golden eyebrow "what's this?"

"I was nervous" I smiled weakly, he approached me and hugged my form tightly,

"You shouldn't be up, un, Itachi said to rest" his hand found my belly,

I cocked my head "I feel much better; besides…today's the day Tobi-"

"Yeah" he cut me short and stared at the bowl which had contained melted chocolate, his finger dipped into it and traced my lips, giving me dark brown lipstick, he then ducked down to kiss me, licking off the savoury substance with a moan, when he pulled back his lips brushed against mine as he spoke "for luck, un" I blinked "Akina…promise me that if anything happens…you'll run"

"Deidara…I'm going with you"

He frowned and I watched his eyes frost over "Akina-"

"I will not stand on the sidelines" I stood tall and firm beside him, his fingers twitched and the mouths gnashed their teeth "if Tobi really is going to attack today…then I'm going to fight side by side with you and the others, I refuse to be a helpless damsel in distress, waiting for someone to save me. Pregnant or not, I can take care of myself and I refuse to allow him to beat me down!"

I watched as the blond turned his eyes away and hissed "fine…but…but you must swear to me that if things get too out of hand, if it looks like we might lose, then you will run!" I remained silent "Akina, un, swear it! Swear to me that you will leave me, leave the others, and run if something happens to us" I closed my light blue orbs and sighed lowly,

"Okay"

The oven timer rang.

* * *

Rose: Dun, dun, dun! What's going to happen next? Only I know and you shall have to wait until next week!

A few reviews might help though, hehe.


	57. Festival

Rose: Yay! Reviews are awesome!

Disclaimer: OC's and plot.

* * *

"I'm fucking bored!"

"Hidan! Shut up!" Kisame snarled "we're all bored!"

We'd been waiting all day for Tobi's supposed attack, it was now six in the afternoon and it was beginning to look like it wasn't going to happen, now, sitting in the living room with tense muscles and weapons drawn just in case, we were resigning to the fact he must have lied about it,

Deidara was next to me on the sofa, his arm draped across my shoulders and his hand quickly slid over my stomach "maybe you should go rest, un" he muttered lowly, I shook my head,

"I'm fine"

"She's bored too you pussy!" the Jashinist sniggered "you know, there's supposed to be a festival in the town today, we should go"

Itachi sighed "I doubt that a festival is something we should be thinking of at this point in time"

"Idiot, un"

"I think it sounds fun" I smiled "but Itachi's right"

"There'll be fucking fireworks!" the blondes head shot up,

"Say what? Un"

The rest of us rolled our eyes "we can't" I said "it's too dangerous" the male beside me glanced between myself and Hidan with a pained expression before sighing,

"Yeah, yeah you're right, un"

"Fucking Babies"

"Wouldn't a town be a great place to hide" the Mist-Nin jumped in "all those people, it would be hard to Tobi to find her"

I watched the Uchiha rub his eyes "it's possible…but also very risky"

"So Akina would be safer in the town? Un" Deidara asked unsurely, the dark haired man nodded "but…with all those people around…" he didn't need to continue "Tobi took out the entire village of Ame, there's no telling what he'd do in the town"

"He wouldn't do anything that would risk Akina"

Hidan punched the air "all fucking right! Let's go!" he was already half way out the door, I sighed,

"Geeze…" the blond and I trailed after him, Itachi and Kisame offered to stay behind, the former summing a little crow that he said would find us if Tobi showed up "I don't know about this-" I tried to argue but had already been dragged up onto a bird with Hidan and Deidara "guys!"

* * *

"I am not confidant about this!" I argued for what felt like the fiftieth time since we'd landed "I don't feel safe!"

Deidara wrapped his arm around my waist and rubbed my side "its okay, un, you'll be-" he stopped and looked around "where did Hidan go?" I pointed to the Sake tent where the silver headed male was gulping down an entire bottle "oh…anyway, as I was saying, un, you'll be fine. Tobi won't do anything in this crowd"

I started shaking my head "I want to go home!"

He sighed and took me to the side of the crowds beside one of the food stalls "Akina, un, just try to relax" I looked up at him and blinked "you've been cooped up in the house for a week and spent all day worrying about whether Tobi was going to attack or not; you need to take your mind off your problems and have a day where you can act like every things fine" I rubbed my forehead "think of it this way, un, being stressed is not good for you or the baby"

"I guess-"

"Oh! You're having a baby?" the pair of us jerked our heads to the side to see a young woman, she had shoulder length violet hair and dark green eyes, Deidara and I exchanged glances before nodding slowly, she bounced over and I could see she was holding a bundle in her arms "when is it due?"

"Um…not for another seven or eight months" I answered, she smiled,

"I had Yuu just last month, isn't he adorable?" she held him out to me "do you want to hold him?" I nodded slowly and let her place him in my arms, he had a mop of dark hair but his eyes were closed so I couldn't see them, he snuggled into the crook of my elbow and sucked on his fist,

I gulped "he…he's really cute" the man next to me pushed the blanket back a little bit so he could see his face too "was giving birth hard?"

The woman tapped her chin "well…it was quite a long labour but it didn't get very painful until just before he came out…but my mother did say it varies from person to person" I licked my lips and rocked the baby "I think my husband had it worse than me" she giggled "I almost broke his hand and was screaming at him"

Deidara chuckled "pussy, un" I elbowed him but luckily she hadn't heard him, I handed her child back and grabbed the blondes hand,

"Thanks for letting me hold him" she grinned "but we need to go find my brother" we waved to the woman and disappeared back into the crowds,

"That baby was cute, un" I was stopped and pulled back into a hard chest, Deidara wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed my neck, I blushed,

"We're in public!"

He sniggered and continued kissing and sucking "ours will be far sweeter though, un"

"Not with Hidan around" I sighed as I caught sight of the Jashinist stumbling about and trying to hit on everything that crossed his path, man, woman, child or plant,

The man holding me grumbled "idiot, un" his hand stroked my belly "do you feel relaxed now?" I nodded and he pecked my cheek "good…now let's go catch a show"

* * *

From out of the tent at the back stepped a tall, lithe woman, she had tanned skin and shoulder length copper coloured hair and matching amber eyes; she was wearing two strips of deep blue material that reached her ankles and revealed her shapely legs, her belly was flat and toned and her breasts were covered with another strap of material of the same colour, she was bare foot with three gold anklets on her left leg and bell bracelets,

"Oh my Jashin…" I raised my eyebrows at the Steam-Nin who was staring open mouthed at the woman "she's so fucking **hot**!"

She started to dance, swaying her hips and twisting her wrists "I wish I could move like that" I admitted "ninja or no that takes some serious practice" I felt Deidara's arm twitch around my shoulders just before the awed male beside me clapped a hand over my mouth, I shoved him off and wiped my lips, his palms were sweaty,

"Oh God…" he clenched his hands and bit his lip "I think I just came!" we stepped back a few inches "I'm in love!"

The blond chocked "**what**?"

"I'm in love with that woman!"

"You don't even know her, un"

"Haven't you ever heard of love at first sight?" Hidan cried, still not removing his eyes from the woman,

Deidara sniggered "cute, un, he's got a crush"

I rubbed his arm "Hidan, if you like her so much then why don't you talk to her after the show?" he muttered under his breath and blushed lightly,

"Akina don't encourage him, un, he's not in love he's merely physically attracted to her"

"Didn't you say that about Akina once?" the blond quickly snapped his mouth shut and growled deep in his throat,

"Excuse me?" I looked between them,

They didn't answer me and Hidan went back to drooling over the woman, when she had finally finished dancing she stepped down from the stage and stood at the side, the Jashinist kept his violet orbs locked onto her while we focused on the fire dancers,

When it was all over there was a thirty minute waiting period before the fireworks started so I eventually talked him into going over to her, which he only did if I went with him, and if I was going then Deidara would follow "I think it's cute" I whispered to him as we walked,

"Well I think he won't last five minutes before she slaps him! Un"

We caught up with the man mid-conversation, or so it seemed "hi" Hidan blurted out for the fifth time to the dancer, she giggled behind her hand and repeated the greeting back to him,

I rubbed my forehead "um…sorry, Hidan's a bit slow when he's nervous" Aimi, the woman, shook her head,

"I understand, but I think it's kinda sweet" I smiled and sighed in relief before jabbing the stuttering man in the ribs,

"Hidan, why don't you tell Aimi about…um…"

"Your religion, un" Deidara smirked, I face-palmed,

The copper haired woman cocked her head "you're religious?"

"Uh…yeah, it's this religion called Jashinism"

"So what are the main beliefs?"

Hidan started to reply but I didn't hear what he said as the blond dragged me away "why did you do that?" I asked angrily,

"Because it's funny, un" he laughed before dropping down in the grassy field where the fireworks were supposed to take place, he dragged me down in the process and lay his head on my lap "besides, if Hidan wants a girl she has to be able to deal with his…tendencies"

"That comes later" I sighed "when they know each other well enough to share that they're immortal and have to kill people in order to be part of a religion" he chuckled and lifted his hand to run it over my cheek,

"What did you think about me? Un, when you found out I loved to create devastating explosions?"

"I thought you were insane and that I was going to dry in a horrific, fiery death" he frowned "what?"

"Mean, un" I laughed and bent down to kiss him, it felt odd because my bottom lip was pressing against his top one; it was even stranger when he fought his tongue into my mouth "I love you" he whispered when we'd pulled back,

I bit my lip "I know"

He smiled weakly and continued stroking my face, I lifted my head and looked in the direction of the house "they'll be fine, un"

"I'm worried, today has been far too calm…that's always a bad sign"

"Shhh" the man cooed, sitting up so he could hug me "Itachi will contact us if anything happens, un"

"Deidara I think we should go back!"

"Akina-"

"No, no, something's wrong! Something's very wrong! We have to go back!"

"It's fine! Un, nothing-"

I shook my head frantically "NO! We have to go back!" he gazed at me with hard eyes,

"Give it five minutes, un" he ordered "see how you feel then"

"Deidara-" he clapped a hand over my mouth,

"Five minutes, un, if you still feel so unnerved then I'll take you back" I blinked and nodded slowly,

"Okay" he kissed my forehead and shifted around so he was next to me with his arm around my shoulders "you promise?"

"Yeah, un" I lay my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes,

"Ladies and gentlemen, please settle down because the show is about to begin!" there was a unanimous hush as everyone quietened down; at the bottom of the field we could see the fireworks being set up in preparation, I chewed on my lip nervously as I watched and shifted around on the grass "everyone! Count down from ten!"

"Ten!"

"Nine!"

"Eight!"

"Seven!"

"Six!"

"Five!"

"Four!"

"Three!"

"Two!

"On-"

**BOOM!**

Screamed echoed around us at the huge explosion and Deidara and I jumped up "what was that? Un" I looked around and my eyes locked onto the Cliffside,

"Our house!"

"What? Un"

"It must have come from our house! We have to get back!"

"Akina-" but I was already running back to the village to get Hidan, he and Aimi had heard the noise and were wearing confused expressions,

"Let's go!" I hissed to him when I was close enough, he nodded, bid the woman goodbye and followed me back to where Deidara was,

"Alright since everyone's here and paranoid we might as well head home, un" he said glumly,

I frowned "you know there are more important things than fireworks, I have a really bad feeling, I think Itachi and Kisame are in trouble" he'd already summoned a bird as I was speaking, the three of us hopped on and it leapt into the air, when we landed outside the house everything seemed normal if only a little quiet,

"You know, I'm with her" Hidan rubbed the back of his head "this is creepy"

Since he was immortal we decided he would go first, after much swearing the Steam-Nin eventually forced the door open and crept inside, after a couple moments he motioned us inside too, we arrived to total silence but when we entered the living room we saw Itachi and Kisame reading and playing cards "guys?" I asked,

They looked up and blinked "you're back early" the latter said,

Hidan and I looked at each other "I guess maybe I was wrong" I laughed before turning to Deidara "right?"

He was staring at me "who are you talking to? Un"

"Kisame"

"There's no-one there! Un" I cocked an eyebrow at him, only to see he'd brushed back the bangs covering his left eye,

I gasped "Genjutsu!"

As I said it the room began to melt, like hot candle wax, until we were left in our living room but this time the three of us were the only ones there "OI!" Hidan shouted, when nothing returned his call I licked my lips,

"I knew something was wrong…we shouldn't have left"

Deidara ran out into the hall and up the stairs, when he returned he had his scope "there's no-one here, un, the place is deserted"

"Tobi…" I whispered "he's been here" there was a shout from outside, we sprinted to the back door into the garden where we just caught Itachi dodging a flurry of Kunai from Tobi, Kisame was on the ground clutching his arm which looked to be bleeding profusely, I managed to get around to him on the other side and used what little medical knowledge I had to stem the flow, it looked like he'd been sliced with his own sword because the skin and muscle on his right upper arm was shredded "what happened?" I asked as Hidan pulled out his scythe and Deidara crouched down behind me with his clay,

"Ah…a few minutes ago we heard an explosion in the forest, when we went to check it out he ambushed us, Itachi tried to contact you with the crow but it was knocked out"

Hidan blocked another barrage of Kunai from hitting our Uchiha before trying to slice back at the older man, when he missed and tripped Tobi kicked him and propelled him into a tree "FUCK!"

With Kisame seen to I went and extracted the silver haired man from the bark, he shook himself off and then ran right back into the fight, Deidara followed after him and I was forced to remain on the sidelines.

* * *

Rose: WOOOOOOO!

Review please!


	58. Chase

Rose: Okay! The fight is on!

Disclaimer: OC's and plot.

* * *

My foot pounded heavily on the tree branch for a split second, almost immediately after I leapt from it, another body landed in the same spot,

I panted and only just managed to dodge a shuriken aimed to slow me down, but in the process I over jumped the mark and my heel slipped, causing me to crash to the ground with a pained grunt "damn" I muttered as I pushed myself back up,

"No more running Akina!" I snapped my head up and drew breath before fingering my kunai pouch, Tobi stepped closer and I edged back, keeping the same distance between us, I saw his eyes flash "there's no one left; don't waste the last of your energy fighting me"

I shook my head "you're lying!"

"They're gone!"

"No" I refused to believe it, I'd done as Deidara had told me; I'd run, but there was no way they were…were…"they can't be!"

"If they weren't then explain to me how I'm standing before you" he stepped towards me but I didn't move, tears welled up in my eyes but they were barely visible in the moonlight, he was directly in-front of me now, so close I could hear him breathing,

"No…" I whispered "please no"

His hand was on my waist, the other cupped my chin to tilt it up and his thumb brushed away the escaped drops "I'm sorry, they were in the way…if they'd just stepped aside then it would never have happened" I stared at him fearfully, but I was smart enough not to look in his eyes, I felt an arm snake around me and tug me closer but I didn't fight,

_Itachi…Kisame…Hidan…they can't be…and…Deidara!_

I burst into sobs and instinctively buried my face into Tobi's chest, he wrapped his arms around me and held me tight just like he used to when we lived in Ame, I whined pitifully before an image of Deidara flashed through my mind "NO!" I screamed, shoving him away "you bastard!" he appeared slightly shocked at my outburst but regained himself quickly,

"Akina-"

"I'll kill you!" extracting a knife I pumped chakra into my feet and flew towards him, he barely blocked it on time as it was an inch from his face,

"It won't bring them back!" he pushed me off but I dived again, following with a series of kicks and swipes that he was just quick enough to avoid,

"I don't care!" I shouted "as long as you're dead!" the kunai caught his arm but it was little more than a paper cut, Tobi was only focused on not getting hit but he wasn't trying to attack me back,

When I came close to his throat however he swung his leg up to kick me away, I gasped and angled myself so he hit me in the chest and not the stomach, I was knocked back into a tree and groaned, standing back up shakily I arched my back to hear it crack loudly "now then, shall we discuss this like adults?"

"What's there to discuss?" I spat angrily "you want me to go with you, I don't; we're at a bit of a stalemate aren't we, **Tobi**?" I smirked as he frowned,

"It's nothing that can't be solved with some** persuasion**" a growl erupted from my throat,

"No matter what you do, I won't be the person you want me to; I'll run, I'll forever try to escape you, I will never love you" his fists clenched at his sides,

"I have my ways" as he said it his Sharingan flashed,

I glared "you think that will be enough?" he tutted,

We remained in silence as I tried to stem the pain in my chest, the only sounds being the rustling leaves and our breathing, I didn't know what he was waiting for but I was at a huge disadvantage and I wasn't sure why he wasn't taking it,

Then, after about five minutes he finally made a move towards me, I stiffened and tried to run but only succeeded in stumbling to the floor and swearing. I cut myself off however when I felt the surge of chakra from somewhere to the west of my position, I recognised it right away "Deidara!" I cried, Tobi snapped his head around and curled his lips back in a snarl,

"AKINA!" the blond yelled as he landed in the clearing, he tripped and fell to his knees but was back up before we could blink, he looked worse for wear, with his clothes being torn and blooded, the worst cuts appeared to be on his chest and arms but there was one on his right cheek that was bleeding heavily "get away from her! Un"

Tobi stepped away from me and towards the other man "and here I thought you were dead"

"Heh" Deidara breathed "you should check the bodies next time, we were faking, un"

"We?"

"You didn't think he was the only one did you?" I turned as Kisame stepped out, his injured arm in a sling and his sword draped over his shoulders,

"You underestimate us, Madara" red eyes glowed in the darkness behind the Mist-Nin before the moonlight illuminated a pretty beaten up dark haired figure,

"Yeah, you fucking pansy!" Hidan was probably the most injured, but that must have been because he was immortal, he was bruised and bloodied and he'd lost an ear, his left eye, most of the skin and muscle on his jaw and there was a gaping hole in his chest where I knew his heart should be and another on his stomach "by the way I'll need you to fix me later" he said to me "I'm not entirely sure where most of my organs are so I hope you're good at locating spleens and kidneys!" I couldn't help but crack a smile and managed to scramble to my feet again, this time with my Kunai in hand and ready to fight now that Tobi was surrounded,

"If you couldn't defeat me at full strength what makes you think you'll be able to do it half dead?"

"Because we don't have a choice" I answered "there are no other options!"

"What she said!" Hidan grunted "…by the way before we kill you…what the fuck did you do to my stomach? All the acid is leaking to the remains of my internals and it hurts like fuck! Also where the hell is my liver? I need that to drink you bastard!"

"Now is not the time to be discussing this" Itachi interrupted,

Tobi chuckled "very well" he adopted a Taijutsu stance "let's see what you can do!"

As Hidan and Kisame jumped forwards to attack, Deidara and Itachi came over to me "are you okay? Un" I nodded to the blond,

"Yeah..." I whispered softly before biting my lip and throwing my arms around him "I thought you were dead" he kissed the top of my head "he told me you were dead!"

"It's okay, un, I'm here now and we're going to finish this once and for all!" I nodded and pulled away from his embrace to watch the fight, Itachi was keeping track with his eyes and trying to lend assistance verbally but with the two of them in there it was too dangerous for any of us to do anything more,

Hidan swung out with his scythe but missed and embedded the blades into the earth, as he struggled to pull it back out Tobi extracted a kunai and came up behind him, by the time we'd warned him his head was already rolling across the ground spitting curses, Kisame then ran in with his unwrapped sword, Tobi jumped up to dodge a hit and landed on the end of it, he blinked his beady eyes and tried to swing the man off but he held on even as it drained chakra,

Swinging it above his head Tobi flew into the air and vanished into the darkness, the blue skinned male stood ready in-case of some surprise attack but none of us were expecting it when the dark haired man dropped back down and landed on Kisame's head, knocking him out in that single hit,

Itachi licked his lips and stepped in-front of Deidara and I "you two should get out of here, I'll try to hold him off for as long as I can" I tried to argue but the blond was already dragging me through the trees,

"I don't have much clay left, un, I used it all battling him by the house; I've got just enough for one specialty and a few distractions; I have enough for one bird but that will be in-case of an emergency!"

"Then we'll have to fight" we stopped by the river to catch our breath, Deidara was bent over clutching his side which was drenched red but I didn't have a lot of chakra left either, suddenly he stood up and grabbed my face with both hands before kissing me, afterwards he kissed my stomach too,

"I couldn't bare it if anything happened to either of you, un, be careful!" I nodded and covered the hand on my cheek with my own, we broke apart and he shielded me with his larger form as Tobi stepped out dusting his hands,

"Itachi wasn't much of a challenge, my Sharingan far exceeds his on every level; he dropped like a fly" I gulped with difficulty "and then there was one…" he purred, the Iwa-Nin growled and flexed his hands, the mouths gnashed furiously,

"Deidara-" I started,

"Stay back, un" he ordered, pushing me behind a tree, I clutched onto the bark, digging my nails into it so hard it hurt,

Tobi rushed forward and Deidara skidded to the right, the Uchiha followed after him, throwing kicks and punches every way that the blond could barely avoid, close combat was his number one weakness and Tobi knew that, I licked my lips nervously when a fist connected with the Rock-Nin's jaw but he recovered quickly and aimed a kick of his own that missed, with distance between them he threw his hand out and made a seal, the bird exploded about three feet from the darker haired man but when the smoke had cleared he was nowhere to be seen and there was a hole in the ground,

Deidara tensed and then bounced into the sky just as Tobi shot up from where he'd been standing, he rolled across the ground and moaned in agony until he was able to right himself, when he did he was back on the ground because the Akatsuki leader hit him in the stomach and pinned him to the floor, raining punch after punch to his face and body,

"DEIDARA!" I cried, running out I shoved the man off him and crouched down "Deidara?" his head lolled to one side when I lifted him into my arms "Dei?" my voice cracked and a trickle of blood ran from the corner of his mouth "please…" he cracked his eyes open and strained a smile,

"Hey, un" I pressed my forehead to his and two tears dropped onto his cheeks "don't cry" he whispered throatily, I sniffed,

"Don't leave me" I begged,

"Heh, un" he tilted his chin to press his bloodied lips to mine "I love you"

Before I could say anything else my shoulder was gripped and I was roughly yanked away and secured against a hard chest "he's done for" Tobi murmured into my ear, Deidara's eyes closed again and I watched his body go limp,

"NO!" I screamed, struggling wildly in his hold "LET GO!" my heel caught his shin but it didn't deter him from trying to carry me away "DEIDARA!"

"OI!" we both froze and turned to the new voice,

"Abir…" I breathed, he was a little bigger than the last time I'd seen him and next to him was a caramel coloured female dog slightly smaller than him, they touched noses before the black houkou crouched down and raised his hackles and bared his teeth, the female copied him and then from between the trees about thirty more dogs crawled, all with snarls on their snouts, between two of them a little white goat hopped out, head bent low with her horns jutted out "Nana!"

"We heard the fighting" Abir explained as he and the pack circled around us, Tobi was twisting around to try and keep them all in his sight,

One of them leapt out and sunk its teeth into his calf, Tobi cried out and dropped me, in an instant three of the dogs had created a wall between us; then they all pounced on the man, barking, howling and biting, Abir hurried over to me and I hugged him "I haven't seen you in so long!" he licked my cheek, I gasped "Deidara!" I spun around but he was gone!

Abir sniffed the spot where he'd last been "smells like clay"

"He used a clone!" my eyes darted around the area "where is he?" one of the dogs barked and we turned back, they were all sniffing a hole in the ground and whining "he used that Mole Jutsu thing to get away!"

I felt his chakra below me and just like Deidara had before I ran out of the way "back to the woods!" Abir ordered, running over to the female dog and Nana to lead them with him, the others obeyed his command without hesitation,

I'd just broken through the threshold of the trees when Tobi appeared before me; I skidded to a stop just as he landed a punch to my left shoulder that knocked me back, for what felt like the millionth time I landed with a groan of pain, but this time when I looked up I saw a white humanoid shape beside me with a pointy head and two large, flat wing like arms,

C3!

_Shit!_

I jumped up and leapt back but not before I heard the shout of "KATSU!" somewhere in the distance,

I turned and ran as the statue began to glow, Tobi had the same idea but he was running the opposite way, I didn't know the range of the bomb but I wasn't going to wait around to find out!

A sharp pain stabbed my side and I almost fell, luckily I caught myself in time as I was barely seconds ahead of the heat and fire that was beginning to expand, I pumped what little chakra I had left and strained all my muscles to escape,

It must have been about two miles when my chakra finally gave out and I landed in a stream, I could barely breathe, let alone move "D…Dei…Deidara!" I croaked, his chakra spiked and looking up I watched a black shape move against the sunrise "DEIDARA!" I screamed, looking back the heat from the blast was heating the water I sat in and the fringes of flame singed my hair before the very final dregs of fire consumed me as I passed out, the last thing I saw was a large bird in the sky directly above me,

"AKINA!"

* * *

Rose: Dun, dun, dun! How will Akina survive this? Will Akina survive this?"

Review please!


	59. It's All Over For?

Rose: As I write this sentence the dog has just fallen off of the sofa, ah…good times.

Disclaimer: OC's and plot.

* * *

I regained consciousness expecting to be anywhere but where I'd fainted,

I expected to be in Tobi's cave; or in his arms as he ran through the trees or even in the bed of some long unknown Akatsuki base,

I didn't expect to be lying in the shallow stream with the warm water lapping against my legs and hands; my head was on the once grassy bank and the dirt was rubbing against my sore cheek,

Someone ran their fingers through my hair and I heard the buzzing of a voice, my ears were ringing but it slowly dimmed as time went on, the person lifted me up and supported my head in the crook of their elbow, I tried to open my eyes but they stung too much, I could barely twitch them under the lids,

"Akina" the voice was much clearer now "oh God, Akina, un" then a sob was heard and they pressed their forehead to my own "I'm so sorry, if I'd have known you were in range I would never had detonated the bomb, I thought you'd run with the dogs"

This time when I cracked my lids it was only just a sliver, so I could peek through my eyelashes at the blond man above me, there were tears pouring down his face and his eyes were bloodshot, he sniffed as he stared down at me,

"Oh please, you aren't dead, un, you can't be" his other hand pressed onto my stomach "please…" my breathing was so weak and quiet that I was unable to feel my own chest rising and falling, it was no surprise he couldn't tell that I was still alive; he whispered against my lips "I shielded you! I protected you! Why are you…" the tears dropped onto me "Akina please wake up…I love you, I need you!

I was lowered back to the ground, this time with my face pointed towards the sky, the sun shone down onto my skin,

_Dei…I am awake!_

Footsteps crunched from my left and came to a stop by my side; then there was a sharp intake of breath "what have you done?" Deidara sobbed loudly again and rubbed the top of my head, watching through my lashes I saw Tobi's leg fly out and hit the Iwa-Nin in the chest, he fell back into the water before rolling onto his side, still crying "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?" Tobi screamed; his face was pale, much paler than it had been originally; he chewed his lip "you killed her!"

The dark haired male stepped over me towards the younger man who knelt on his knees with his head bent low; he was shuddering every few moments and sucking in air shakily,

Although it hurt, I managed to drop my head in their direction and croaked "Dei…" my eyes were no doubt red and forcing them open even further was probably a very bad idea but I didn't care, if I didn't do something then Tobi was going to murder him "Dei!" they froze and the blonds head slowly rose up, his blurry eyes locked onto my watery sore ones,

"Akina…!" he gasped and crawled towards me "Akina…you're alive, un" he lay at a right angle to me and kissed me quickly, my lips were burnt so the contact was stinging me but I didn't care "you're alive!" he cried even harder if possible "I love you!"

I smiled weakly "I know" I struggled to raise my hand up and cup his cheek "I know you do" he nuzzled into my palm and sighed, from behind Tobi had been watching but now he was coming closer, his hand gripped the back of Deidara's shirt and threw him back,

"You love her? You almost **killed** her!" I saw him spin a Kunai between his fingers, the Stone-Nin spat at the floor and glared at him, some kind of new strength having been born inside of him now that he knew I was alive,

"Well you almost drove her mad with those fucking **nightmares**! Un" he snarled back as he wobbled to his feet, Tobi clenched his fists and I forced myself onto my stomach and supported myself on my elbows,

Deidara wasn't fast enough when Tobi smacked him over the side of his head, as he fell the older man grabbed his left wrist and used it to hold him up, before the blond had a chance to fight back the Uchiha had stabbed his kunai into his palm, directly through the mouth, the Iwa-Nin screamed in agony and blood poured down his arm, I could only watch and wince when the knife twisted and pulled back, when he extracted it something pink and plump fell to the floor,

The tongue,

"No…" I breathed, the tongue was what charged the clay with chakra; without it Deidara would never be able to form his creations and if he couldn't do that…then he'd never be able to fight back,

When he dropped to the burnt ground again he hugged his hand to his chest and whimpered; Tobi reached for his other hand but the blond flinched and rolled away, when he jumped to his feet he gazed at the hole and then at the muscle beside the darker mans foot "bastard! Un" he said shakily, I pushed on my hands and splashed to my feet,

"Stop!" I ordered quietly but firmly "this has to stop!" I stumbled forwards a few paces and then stood panting, the two men gawped at me with wide eyes "Tobi…I'll go with you"

"What?"

"NO!" Deidara yelled "Akina you can't! Un"

"If I don't go with him…then he's going to kill you" I whispered "and…I couldn't bare that"

"I won't let you! Un"

Tobi smirked "she said she wants to go with me, Deidara" he came closer and traced my face,

The blond growled "so now you'll do as she wants? Un, what about when she wanted you to leave, did you listen then?" the Uchiha frowned "Akina, don't sell yourself to him!" I looked into Deidara's pleading eyes and covered my mouth to suppress a sob,

"This seems so familiar" Tobi mused "now where have I seen this situation before? Ah yes; why don't we substitute you with a little pink haired girl, Deidara, and then chain Akina to a wall?" the blond gasped "you're remembering aren't you? You're remembering the time you forced her to give herself to you in exchange for her sisters life, how very hypocritical of you to tell her not to do it again"

"I…I didn't…" he stuttered "it wasn't…like this, un"

"Like what; tearful? Frightening? Dreadful? Hopeless?"

"Oh God…"

"And, what about the forced sex?"

This time Deidara lost his sadness and turned to anger "you're the one who forced her! Un, I was willing to wait! But you…you had Pein order me into it! You were going to take her away! You never knew how scared she was until she found out what would happen, she had panic attacks!"

Tobi merely cocked his eyebrows "so you deny that she didn't want it? Are you saying that she was completely willing, through and through?"

I locked with his blue orbs "I consented" I cut in lowly "I was willing"

I was shushed as the Uchiha wrapped an arm around my shoulders "I raped you, un" Deidara dropped his head "you didn't want me that night, you said 'yes' but I could see it in your eyes, you wanted it to be 'no' and the next morning, I took advantage of your low mood to…do it again, I'm sorry!"

"Dara" I tried to approach him but was forcefully dragged back,

"Don't worry, my friend, I'll take good care of her"

"No…" the blond whimpered "she's happy here, un" he wasn't looking up and I saw his fingers dig into the earth, his hand had stopped bleeding but it needed urgent care "if you take her away then…"

"If it's the child you're worried about…" I shivered as the man beside me rubbed my stomach "then don't fret, I'm going to let her keep it"

The Iwa-Nin shook his head frantically "NO!"

"You don't want me to let it live?" Tobi teased "don't be so mean, Deidara, I'm offering to raise it as if it were my own, isn't that generous of me?"

"Bastard!" he screamed "I won't let you take her! Un" he leapt over and tackled the Uchiha, causing them both to fall to the ground with grunts; then they rolled across the floor kicking and punching, all thought of Jutsu or weapons had flown from their minds as they brawled like teenage boys,

Something glinted in the sun, glancing over I saw the bloody kunai Tobi had used to cut Deidara, it felt heavy and kind of foreign in my hand as I clutched it tightly before craning my neck over to the men; the blond had the ebony pinned down with his hands around his throat as he struggled to release his hair from his opponents grip,

They really were fighting like juveniles; they'd turned this from a battle for their lives into something that could only be described as…comical,

Finally Tobi kicked Deidara off of him and scrambled to his feet, his hair was mussed, his face was covered in tiny cuts and scrapes and his clothes were ripped, but most shocking of all…he looked worried,

He'd beaten Deidara half to death about three times but he got up every time and continued fighting, he **should** be dead but somehow he always pulled through,

I rushed to his side and helped him up, he coughed up blood but forced a smile at me "I won't let him take you, un, I promise" he opened his injured palm out and sighed "I don't have any clay left…I used the last of it to shield you from the blast earlier" the hand chomped its red stained teeth and the bloody stump at the back of the mouth that was once a tongue wagged pitifully "I'll never be able to fix it, not like your tongue" I had little to no chakra left but I used what was left to sooth the pain in the overly sensitive area,

Tobi was patting down his pouches in search of a weapon but I had the only one, he watched me carefully, his eyes flickering from the knife to my face over and over "is that better?" I asked at last when I removed my hand from his,

"Yeah" he whispered "thanks, un"

My palm was sweaty as I flexed my fingers over the handle of the kunai "what're we going to do?"

He panted "I don't know, un"

Tobi looked to be in the same predicament as us, we'd reached a stalemate and now none of us could make a move "we're all out of, or nearly out of, chakra" I voiced "this won't continue for much longer" he nodded,

"Akina…you were willing to go with him, un, just for me!"

I clutched his arm "I'd do anything for you" he smiled again, but this time is was a sad smile, I didn't understand why he had made that face,

"I've said it before, un, I'm not good enough for you…I don't deserve you but that doesn't mean I'm going to let him take you away"

I pointed out the kunai "I think we only have one option" he nodded,

"Yeah, un"

He started running and threw a punch, Tobi dodged and kicked out so Deidara skidded to the side and aimed for his head, I ran in and swiped with the knife, now Tobi was avoiding both of us, one on either side of him kicking and punching and slicing, he grabbed my shoulder and flipped me over so I collided with the blond, we stumbled back but regained ourselves quickly and continued the assault,

Deidara yelped when Tobi used the last of his chakra to land a punch over his heart, my eyes widened as he scrambled away a few paces with his hands pressed to his chest, then he dropped back and didn't move, I gasped but didn't approach him, instead I used the Uchiha's moment of distraction to fly at him with the knife,

He saw me coming and twisted his body but wasn't fast enough,

We both heard the swish of the knife as it move,

We both heard it pierce his skin,

We both became still and a trickle of blood escaped from the corner of his mouth,

"Akina?" he whispered, we locked eyes and I was silent for a couple seconds,

And then I pushed into the wound deeper making him groan,

I was panting and my head felt fuzzy, Tobi's eyes were out of focus, now it was just a case of which one of us fainted first "you aren't Tobi…" I breathed, he blinked slowly "Tobi was my friend, he comforted me when I was scared, I helped him catch frogs and he took me to hot springs and lakes even when Deidara told him not to, we had water fights together with Kisame and played pranks…you aren't Tobi"

"I could be…" his hand was bloody from fingering the stab where the knife still remained, he left streaks on my cheek as he ran them over it "…if you let me"

"No…you couldn't" I argued, his head was bobbing as he struggled to stay conscious,

He flinched suddenly and we looked down simultaneously to see for the first time where I'd stabbed him,

Right where he'd punched Deidara,

The only thing keeping him alive was the fact that the knife was still in him, as soon as I removed it he'd only have minutes, maybe even seconds, of life left,

Looking back up into his face I sighed "it didn't have to come to this, I tried to keep things peaceful but…look at all that you've caused" I looked over at the blond to see that his eyes were beginning to glaze over,

"Me?" he chuckled breathlessly "it would have never come to this if Deidara had never kidnapped you, if you'd never been in that office at that particular time, if you hadn't of been placed in charge of us; you could be in your little village right now with your sister or maybe even with your little boyfriend, Gaara was it? There are a many number of reasons as to why this moment had occurred, I am just one of them" I scowled "and now, my love, I fear that neither of us will get the girl we so desire"

He leant forward and pressed his lips to mine, I closed my eyes and retracted my hands, taking the knife with them; Tobi…Madara…coughed against me and spit up blood before he landed on his knees as I backed away, then he collapsed to his front and stopped breathing.

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Rose: Dun, dun, dun!

Review please!


	60. Comatose

Rose: I know I said I wasn't going to do this again but I felt this chapter wouldn't work without it, so enjoy.

Disclaimer: OC's and plot.

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I yawned and stretched my arms above my head before sitting up and rubbing the back of it, I stood up shakily and stumbled over to the puddle of blood by the edge of the stream, my eyes followed the red trail into the trees "the dogs must have dragged him off, un" I muttered "good riddance!"

Turning back around as I rubbed my eyes I chocked on my own spit when Akina entered my line of sight, out cold and pale looking as she lay next to…

ME!

"Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck!" I cried and leapt back over to my comatose form, I started clawing at my body's chest in an attempt to get back inside but it seemed like there was some kind of barrier "I can't be dead! I promised her I wouldn't die! Un"

"Calm down you pansy, you aren't dead" I froze when another, unfamiliar, voice met my eardrums "you're having a…whatsit...out-of-body-experience" slowly craning my neck around I met with a pair of dark green eyes, it was a man about a head taller than myself, he was muscular, somewhere between Kisame and Hidan in terms of it, and had his arms crossed and a deep scowl on his face,

Next to him was a young woman, she was more relaxed with a soft smile, I pointed at her "you have Akina's eyes! Un" she laughed,

"More like she has my eyes, but Chika got my hair" I blinked as I finally noticed her shoulder length pink hair with the purple tint "I'm glad about that actually because Akina has my facial structure and pale skin, my hair would never have suited her"

I tried to imagine her with her mothers hair but the closest I got was the purple she had when we'd first met, I'd quite liked it but preferred the white every time, it looked like she inherited that from her father "if I'm not dead…then what's going on? Un" I asked at last,

Akina's father strode over and smacked me over the back of the head, I yelped but when my eyes had opened I was no longer in the forest, instead I was in some kind of white nothingness "now we can talk more easily, it's difficult trying to manifest onto Earth"

"WHAT?" I screamed, he went to hit me again but I dodged him,

"The two of us are dead, numb-nuts"

"Well obviously! Un, I knew that!" I snapped back, he growled "now what's going on? Answer me!"

This time Akina's mother stepped forwards "maybe we should introduce ourselves first? I'm Saki"

"And I'm Takeshi"

"Makes sense, un" I muttered, this time he punched me on the arm "fuck!"

"Brat!"

"Shi!" Saki scolded "be nice, he's the father of your grandchild!"

"I didn't ask him to be! If it were up to me I'd have picked that Gaara character, at least **he's **a Kage!" I crossed my arms and huffed "not like this scrawny brat, look at 'im!" I was hoisted off my feet by the back of my shirt "he's soft round the middle-"

"No exercise works, un"

"-I had twice his muscle when I was his age"

"Good for you, un"

"And his hair!" I clenched my fists "it's almost as long as hers! And he's from Iwa! Why did she have to pick him? At least that Itachi fellow was from Konoha!"

Saki was tapping her foot impatiently on the ground "she didn't pick him!"

The older man still hadn't put me down "right…you kidnapped her"

I sighed "here we go; are you going to berate me for that? Go right ahead, it's not like I haven't heard it all before" I was dumped ungracefully on my feet, I was surprised to find that it didn't hurt despite the injuries I'd sustained, looking at my hands I saw that both of them had tongues "what the-"

"You're a soul" Takeshi explained "what happens to your physical body doesn't affect you like this" I nodded "now…down to business"

I groaned and slumped onto the…ground?

They took a seat opposite me with their legs crossed "Deidara" Saki smiled, I felt my heart clench, she looked like her daughter when she did that "we've wanted to talk to you for a long time, but it's impossible for us to contact the still living from the afterlife unless they're close to death" I jerked "don't worry, but we only have until your friends find and heal you" I ran a hand through my hair and sighed in relief "when we died, we used to manifest ourselves in Akina and Chika's dreams a lot so we could see them grow and watch over them, after she was kidnapped Akina didn't dream of us as much so we couldn't understand what had been happening"

"Nightmares, un" I said "she had terrible nightmares when I first took her, probably Tobi's fault"

"Right, but we could gather from Chika that she'd been taken, about four months afterwards we finally got into contact with Akina and we finally learned about you in detail, we wanted to talk to you but it was impossible, your mind was closed off to us and you were healthy. Soon Akina stopped dreaming of us and focused more on her friends so we've only been catching glimpses of her life, we knew about the miscarriage and the Akatsuki and of course we know about the current baby, but it's not her we're interested in at the moment"

I gulped "we want to know exactly what's going through that head of yours" her father said "we know you've hurt her a lot and we want to make sure you won't do it again"

"I wouldn't, un"

"First of all" he ignored my comment "why did you kidnap her in the first place?"

I shrugged "I wanted her, un"

"Define 'want'"

"I can't, un, I'm a jealous, possessive man; I thought she was attractive and didn't like the idea of her being with anyone else"

"Fine; are you still in that mind set?"

I chew my lip nervously "I…I trust her, un, so I'm not so jealous of others anymore"

"How long has it been since you kidnapped her?"

"It's been two years and three months since I kidnapped her but we first met a month before that, un"

"How do you feel about her?"

My cheeks flushed brightly though I tried to force it down "I love her, un" I mumbled, Takeshi asked me to repeat what I'd said louder "I love her"

"Louder"

"I love her!"

"LOUDER!"

"I LOVE HER!" I shouted at him, he nodded smugly,

"So if you love her; then why is she still your prisoner?" I stuttered "she still is, right?" I nodded reluctantly "so?"

"I don't treat her like one, un, so we just sort of forgot about it"

The white haired man snorted "we know you've done a lot of bad things to her, but she seems to have forgiven you for all that so we have to too but what we can't ignore is the doubts you're hiding deep within yourself regarding you and Akina" I avoided eye contact by turning my head away and hiding my face with my bangs "what are your intentions regarding my daughter?"

"Define yourself, un" I muttered,

Saki spoke instead "what are you going to do, now that that man, Tobi was it, is gone?" I looked at her,

"I don't know, un"

"Are you going to marry her?" Takeshi asked "or are you going to continue like you are? Or maybe you'll return her to Konoha?"

"I can't do the last one, un, I think it'll be the second one"

He nodded "I can accept that; but will you be doing it for her sake or yours?" I remained silent "if you don't get these uncertainties out in the open then they will slowly devour you"

I rubbed my face "I'm scared, un, all the things I've done to her…I just used to push them to the back of my mind so I didn't have to face them; she's forgiven me for kidnapping her and abusing her but…but I haven't! I love her so much and I desperately want her to love me back but I can't help but feel that in her head, she's closed herself off to me because she's afraid I'm going to hurt her again…sometimes I think that…maybe…she'd be better off without me, un"

"You know that's not true" her mother said softly, I sighed and picked at my leggings, flicking off dried blood and dirt "it's pretty obvious you need and want each other"

I blinked at her "really? Un" I asked quietly, she grinned and I was struck once more with how much she looked like Akina "do you think that…she loves me? I mean…she says she doesn't but I thought that maybe she really does and just doesn't know how to express-" I cut myself off when I looked at the couple and saw them shaking their heads,

"She doesn't" the pinkette soothed, my shoulders slumped and I quickly dropped my head so they couldn't see my watering eyes "but you love her, that'll be enough! She just needs-"

"DON'T TELL ME SHE NEEDS TIME!" I roared "SHE'S HAD THE SAME AMOUNT OF TIME THAT I HAVE TO FALL IN LOVE SO DON'T PULL THAT SHIT!"

"DON'T TALK TO MY WIFE LIKE THAT!" Takeshi shouted back, I clamped my jaw shut and grit my teeth so hard it hurt "and don't pretend to act all innocent, you may have fallen for her very quickly but let's not forget that at that time she was a hostage and was distrustful of you, it was easy for you because you had all the power and could afford to fall in love"

"Then explain why she doesn't love me now! Un" I cried "she's not my hostage any more! I don't have all the power! She trusts me! So why doesn't she love me back?"

Saki giggled "Akina's always been cautious with her feelings, I think it comes with being an Anbu, she didn't want to get close to you in the Akatsuki in-case you died and afterwards I think she was just confused, what with the miscarriage, the nightmares and the running away. She likes you, more than that actually…she more than likes you but less than loves you" her husband and I stared at her and exchanged glances,

"She hung around with the girls too often when she was alive" he said, I sniggered when she punched him; I was now being overwhelmed with how familiar she and her eldest daughter were "now, are you satisfied with that answer? We believe she'll return your feelings soon, you just need to be patient"

"I hate being patient, un"

"Don't I know it" he sneered, I clenched my fists and spat at him, he yelled and dived at me, Saki rolled her eyes when we rolled around with him trying to hit me and me trying to get away,

"God damnit" she swore "if he was Gaara you'd be dead by now"

"I'm already dead and if he was Gaara I'd like him!"

"HEY!" I screamed and kicked him away "I hate that guy! Un" our eyes were drawn to my arm, they should have had stitches but I remembered what he said about physical and spiritual injuries, he laughed and I flipped him the bird,

Then, all around us, the area began to melt and fade like smoke "looks like times up" Akina's mother stood up and dusted herself off as she spoke "time to say goodbye"

"Whoa! Wait!" I jumped over to her "I have to know…what's it like? Un"

"What?"

"Being dead! What's it like where you are? Heaven or hell or whatever"

She took my hand "there is no heaven or hell, it's just…it's like living in a never-ending dream where anything can happen, the world is shaped to your personal wishes and everyone's is different"

"What about people who kill…like us? Un, what happens to us? Aren't we punished?"

"For a bit, yes, Takeshi and I were trapped in perpetual darkness away from each other for what felt like an eternity at first and we were forced to relive the deaths of everyone we'd ever killed, it was scary and painful but when it over we never had to think about it again"

They were getting blurry now as I was pulled away from deaths grasp "what is your dream? Un"

"Ours?" she cocked her head and winked "a world with no ninja, it's just us and our girls; we never died and are free to watch them grow from babies to adults, they get married and we can re-live it as many times as we want, changing whatever we want"

"Who does she marry? Un" I grabbed her arms because now her voice was faint but I felt her lips touch my cheek,

"I can make it you, if that's what you want. But remember, you have her in real life and quite possibly in the afterlife too, so my dreams can never compare" I nodded and felt a tear roll down my cheek as the two of them vanished,

"See ya brat"

"Bye Deidara"

I sniffed "yeah, un"

The environment was finally gone and I felt the sensation of floating until something soft and familiar formed under me, cracking my eyes open I met with a pair of sky blue eyes, the same eyes I'd been looking at just a few moments before, glancing around I saw I was in my bed back in the house; I raised my hands to see that the left palm had been wrapped up but other than that I was fully healed, if a bit sore, but the lactic acid would wear off in time,

"We tried to repair the tongue" Akina tucked my bangs behind my ear "but Tobi sealed off Itachi's Sharingan and there were too many chakra vessels, he couldn't reattach them" I press both my hands to the one on my cheek that belonged to her,

"I don't care, un"

She smiled "I thought you were going to die, how did you survive a direct attack to the heart?"

"The mouth took the brunt of it, un" I winced "that'll take a while to heal…what about you?"

"I'm fine, my injuries were minor when compared to you" she kissed my forehead,

"And the-"

"The baby is fine too" I grinned weakly,

"How are the others? Un"

"Kisame's arm will need to remain in the sling for a long time, Itachi's medical knowledge doesn't extend to shredded skin and muscles, apart from his Sharingan he's good too but Hidan is another story, we couldn't find his other eye but his ear was sewn back on, most of his organs were recovered but we're still looking for a few, he'll survive though; he's only complaining about the lingering stomach acid and the fact that food falls out the side of his face when he eats" I chuckled,

"That's good to hear, un" I closed my eyes again "I think I'll go back to sleep now" she tried to pull away but I tugged her down next to me and kissed the top of her head "don't go" I whispered, she cuddled down into me and relaxed, soon her breathing slowed and became quieter but I was still half conscious, Saki's words ringing through my head;

"_She more than likes you but less than loves you"_

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Rose: Woo! We're in the sixties! I'll probably do Deidara's point of view once more, but not for a while.

Review please!


	61. As It Goes

Rose: Hey, hey, hey, how is everyone? Thanks for the reviews!

Disclaimer: OC's and plot.

* * *

I stepped into the bedroom with a tray in my hands, Deidara was on his back sleeping still, a small smiled crossed my face as I set the tray on the nightstand and sat down beside him, he stirred and I stroked his cheek with the back of my hand "wakey, wakey sleepy head" I cooed, his eyes cracked open and he moaned "it's about time you got up"

"Hm…" he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and blinked tiredly up at me "how long was I out? Un"

"About two days, Itachi said you were in some kind of 'Chakra Coma'" I joked, he grinned and sat up to lean against the headboard "how do you feel?"

"Better, I don't hurt at all, un" as he said it he stretched his arms above his head before grunting and clutching his chest "except for that" I placed the tray on his lap,

"Here, eat this, you need it" he spooned the soup into his mouth quickly,

"How are the others? Did you find the rest of Hidan's organs? Un"

"We're only searching for one of his kidneys, his liver and appendix, though he doesn't really need the last one"

Deidara cocked his eyebrow "wouldn't they have decomposed by now? Un, or shouldn't an animal have got them?"

I shook my head "Hidan's immoral, his organs are immortal, his skin has already grown back and covered the hole in his mouth but we have to keep reopening the one in his stomach, there's no doubt it'll scar, if an animal has got them then he'll just have to cope with one kidney and no liver, he'll survive" the blond sniggered "Kisame is fine, though he was having trouble doing everything with his left hand and Itachi is actually kind of happy that his Sharingan is sealed because now it won't destroy his eyesight anymore"

"And you? Un" he'd finished the food and was playing with the ends of my hair,

"I'm perfect" I smiled "I was just going to go help Hidan"

The blond shifted around "I want some fresh air, un, let me come" he threw his legs over the side of the bed and stood up shakily with some assistance from me, he changed into some dark green three quarter lengths and a matching kimono shirt, he seemed perfectly healthy other than the third mouth on his chest, the attack had momentarily stopped his heart but if the mouth hadn't of been there it would have killed him, I wasn't sure what was straining him but since the mouth had a direct channel to his heart I could only assume that it was some kind of bruising or pulled muscles in the area,

Despite that, he made it down the stairs and to the back garden with little to no trouble, when he was outside he stumbled a bit but Hidan, who had been waiting, caught him "hey Pansy"

"Heh" the Iwa-Nin chuckled "missing the drink? Un"

"I'm having fucking withdrawal symptoms" the Jashinist cursed "and it comes at the same time when Aimi asks me out"

Deidara's eyebrows vanished into his hairline "excuse me? You have a date? Un"

The silver headed man smirked "yeah, and I didn't have to kidnap her or nothing" he dodged the punch that was thrown his way, I shook my head and disappeared around the corner where Nana had been penned back up by Itachi, I petted her quickly before returning to the bickering men,

"Hidan unless you want to disappoint Aimi then I suggest we go and get your liver" they stopped and stared at me "well? I've already got Abir and his pack on the look out"

Deidara piped up "no offence, but if you haven't found them by now then I don't think you're going to, un, something will have eaten them"

"Thanks" Hidan rolled his eyes "jerk" I giggled and started into the trees to find the little black Houkou.

* * *

Two hours later Hidan ran screaming from the woods "I HAVE MY LIVER! FUCK YEAH! FUCK YEAH!"

He span in circles holding the still moist organ, then he kissed it in a passion before freezing, Deidara and I stared at him for a couple seconds with grimaces until the man realised what he was doing and dropped it to spit and yell, I, reluctantly, retrieved the thing and held it at arms length until he was finished "good thing Abir is ace at tracking"

"And good thing that bird hadn't eaten it yet, un" the blond added, I chuckled with him,

"Ew, ew, ew, I kissed my own fucking liver" the religious man grabbed it from me "thanks, babe" he turned to the house "ITACHI! ITACHI! SEW IT BACK IN!" when he was gone I felt Deidara's injured hand press against the small of my back,

"He called you 'babe', un" he scowled and I laughed,

"So? That's just Hidan, you know that" he kissed my jaw but jerked back in shock when said man came running back out,

"Hey, can I survive with one kidney?"

"Yes Hidan" I nodded,

"Okay, so what's and appendix and do I need one?"

"It's an organ almost as important as the heart" I grinned "without it you will be unable to sustain an erection and slowly but surely your testicles will dry up and fall off due to lack of use" his eyes widened,

"WHAT?"

Deidara was lying on the floor clutching his sides and crying with laughter "Hidan, I'm kidding" I crossed my arms "the appendix is a completely useless organ and not having it will not hinder you at all"

He glared at me angrily "you better be telling the truth because if my balls fall off I'm coming for you" he vanished back into the house and the blond slowly recovered,

"Ow, ow, ow, I shouldn't laugh so much, it hurts, un" I pulled him up,

"Aw, baby" I pecked his nose "maybe you should go lie down again" he ignored me and patted my stomach,

"No bump? Un"

"Not for another few weeks" I said, leading him back to bed.

* * *

Deidara's heart was healed slowly within a month; although he became out of breath very quickly if he ran too much, an inspection by Itachi proved that it would be permanent and he'd be fine as long as he didn't push himself, the bandage had been removed from his hand too and the little pink stub of a tongue always wagged solemnly when the mouth opened,

Hidan was back to his crude, immature self…and Aimi loved him for it,

Kisame had gotten used to not having the mobility of his right arm and was slowly coming around to becoming left-handed,

And Itachi's eyesight had hit a stand-still where he had discovered a blind spot on the sides of his vision, it was like he was constantly wearing blinkers so he had to turn his head to see what was happening right next to him, like his partner he had overcome it though, like a true Uchiha,

I'd healed completely, since I'd barely taken any hits during the fight with Madara I was almost back to my full self, the only things different were the few scars I'd obtained from being hit by the fringes of Deidara's bomb; a burn my bottom lip that no amount of chap-stick would smooth out and a small nick on my left eyelid that could only be seen up close, the rest of my body had been spared by the clothes I'd been wearing and the rest Itachi had healed for me before he ran out of chakra,

My stomach felt weary and I stood in-front of the mirror in our bedroom with my shirt pulled up so I could see it, standing on the side I cocked my head as I took in my stomach "I swear that wasn't there yesterday"

Twisting every angle I could I looked it over with a curious expression until from behind I heard the door creak, there was a slight pause as I watched Deidara's reflection before he grinned and ran over, embracing me tightly "we've hit the safety zone! Un" he cried, kissing my face and lips over and over,

"Wait, what?" I wriggled away and stared at him,

He pecked my forehead "you're over three months, un, that means there's little to no chance of you having a miscarriage!" he turned me around and ran his finger over the tiny curve of my belly "baby, baby, baby" he whispered, I smiled "I love you so much" the blond hugged me to his chest again "you are so beautiful"

I was led away from the mirror and to the bed "Dei-"

"I want to…sketch this, un" the look in his eyes told me he was sincere in that request, so I lay back in the position he asked, naked on my back with the leg closest to him propped up and one arm over my breasts as the other hand was on my stomach, he didn't use his sketchbook and chose instead to draw it on the separate piece of paper, he used no colours, only a single pencil and when it was finished he carefully folded it up without letting me see it and tucked it into the pocket of his brown cloak that was hanging on the wardrobe door,

"Deidara?" I smiled when he slipped down next to me and stroked my face "is something bothering you?"

"Why'd you ask, un"

I pushed his hair back behind his ear "you seem…distracted" I said softly "like there's something on your mind, is it your heart, or your hand?" he avoided eye contact but when I went to ask again he stopped me with a kiss, my mind went blank and I pulled him closer my his golden locks "Dei…" I breathed when his hand grazed my breast, he trailed his lips over to my ear and then down my jaw, a moan escaped my throat as he nibbled on it before burying his face into my neck,

"I love you, un"

"I know"

"I'd do anything for you, un"

"I know"

He rubbed his eyes into my skin and continued kissing down "I…I'd never hurt you deliberately, un"

I blinked down at him "Deidara, what are you trying to say"

"Do you forgive me? Un" he asked "for all the things I've done to you, the kidnapping, the controlling, when I hit you, when I chained you up and when I…when I raped you?"

He wasn't letting me see his face as he'd hidden it in my stomach so I stroked his head gently "yes, I've forgiven you for everything"

"That's good, un, that's good" he started kissing my skin again, as he went he pulled back and striped his own clothes, they fell to a pile in the floor where my own were,

He parted my knees and slipped between them, outside the sun had already set and the moon was shining into the room, with each thrust I felt a coil within myself tightening, Deidara was holding me as close as possible with his arms around my waist and shoulders, my own were curled around his back and moans ripped from my lips though I was trying not to be too loud, he panted heavily between messy kisses, our teeth clashed but we didn't care, this was the first time we'd been together since we'd fought Madara,

My back arched and pleasurable tingles rolled across my skin, a strangled cry echoed around the room and I pressed my hips into the males as he released inside me "Deidara" I groaned, he sighed and I felt his grip on my body tighten; collapsing beside my form I turned my head to stare at him "don't think you can distract me like that every time"

He smiled weakly and tucked the covers around us before kissing my cheek "I can try, un"

"Are you sure that there's nothing on your mind?" I asked again, he remained silent "Deidara, don't keep me out"

"It's nothing, un" he stressed "I'm just thinking…"

"About?"

I watched his eyes dart unsurely before they settled on me "the baby, un. We'll have to start thinking about converting one of the bedrooms, and building that extension we talked about for the guys" I nodded and cuddled up to him,

"Of course" I nuzzled my cheek against his third mouth before yawning; he ran his fingers through my hair,

"Go to sleep, un" he ordered lowly,

I let my eyes drift closed and slowly fell into an uneasy rest.

* * *

Rose: It's not over! Haha! There's still one more 'Arc' I suppose it can be called, stay tuned,

Review please!


	62. Bothersome

Rose: I didn't mention this last time but chapter 59 had the most reviews of any chapter so far, thank you so much!

Disclaimer: OC's and plot.

* * *

I rolled over and buried my face into my pillow, sighing deeply I stretched out my arm and clutched at the bed sheets beside me, when I found nothing I forced my eyes open and blinked tiredly, Deidara wasn't lying next to me like he usually was in the morning so I had to sit up, I let the covers drop down to my lap as I stretched my arms above my head,

The shower wasn't running so he wasn't in there, I dressed myself and padded downstairs for some breakfast because it was still quite early, Hidan and Kisame were still sleeping but Itachi was up and drinking some coffee in the kitchen, he smiled to me as I entered "morning" he greeted before returning to the paper,

"You too…where did you get that?"

"I had one of my crows fly into the town and grab one" I chuckled and poured myself herbal tea "no Deidara? Or is he still sleeping?"

I blinked "no, I thought he'd be down here but he must have gone out somewhere"

"Maybe he's training; he has been restless ever since the news about his heart"

"I didn't think about that, I hope he takes it easy if that's the case then"

I made pancakes for breakfast because I had a definite craving for them, Itachi was happy to help and reap the benefits of my labour in the form of flat syrupy coated doughy treats, the smell soon attracted Kisame and Hidan and they too took the food,

Afterwards I made my way outside and leant against the side of Nana's pen with my arms crossed as I scanned the edges of the trees, I couldn't see or sense anything but after a few minutes Abir came trotting out towards me "hey" he grinned, I slid down so I was sitting on the floor beside him,

"Hi" I scratched him behind the ears "how're you doing?"

"Fine" he yawned "though I have to admit I'm only now becoming used to sleeping outside"

I laughed "you can come back you know?"

"Yeah I know, but I'm now the unofficial leader of the pack, it's kinda hard to just leave"

"Unofficial?"

"I but one candidate out of about six" he puffed out his chest proudly "but there's no doubt I'll win, what with my being a Houkou and stuff, I'm far superior"

I snorted "and big headed" he leaned into me with a chuckled "did you see Deidara whilst you were in the woods?"

"He's not with you?"

"No"

"Strange, I would have thought with the litter he'd be all over you like a rash in-case something happened"

"Humans don't have litters" I corrected,

"Sometimes you do"

I sucked my tongue "point taken...anyway-"

He stood up "yeah, sure, give me a second" after drawing in a deep breath he let loose a high pitched and ear popping howl that echoed for a few moments after he was done, we waited about five minutes in a silence broken only by Nana's shuffling until a chorus of twenty different howls came from all different directions "he's not in the forest, you sure he didn't just head into town or something?"

I shrugged "if he'd gone into town there would be chakra residue from the bird out in the front of the house…unless he ran but that takes up to two hours and he'd never make it with his heart the way it is now"

Abir's tail swished "odd, very odd" he leant against the pen like me; we sighed simultaneously before looking at each other and giggling "how many?"

"Hm?"

He pointed to my stomach with one jet black paw "how many?"

"Just one I assume"

"Scrawny litter, you need a better mate"

I shook my head "one is normal for humans, we've been over this"

"But…but there was that thing in the paper back in Konoha a few years ago! The woman had six!"

"Okay, I'll admit that sometimes humans have more than one, but it's rare and usually for it to happen there has to be a history of twins or triplets or you have to take fertility drugs, but even so more than three is considered extremely unlikely and often it's dangerous"

The dog blinked at me "I bet Itachi would produce a better litter" I flicked his ears and made him yelp "c'mon, you like Missing-Nin; he's an Uchiha which means strong, powerful and resilient offspring! He'd probably give you four or five!"

"At once?"

"Of course, that's the only way to have pups, have 'em all at once so you only have to go through pregnancy a single time…and even if you didn't have them in one go he's probably fertile enough to get you pregnant every time! Not like Rocky; look how long it took him to get you knocked up this once!"

"You're so charming, Abir" I muttered with a roll of my eyes "and he got me 'knocked up', as you so eloquently put it, once before"

"Sure…but even after that night in the hotel, and all the nights in this house it took him a year once we'd settled"

I cocked an eyebrow "why are you so intent on Deidara's ability to procreate?"

"I'm just looking out for you! I mean…I wouldn't want my pups to mate with scrawny males like him; if the two of you were dogs he'd never have gotten close to you!"

"He shouldn't have gotten close to me as a human" I argued "that's what the kidnapping was for"

Abir thought for a second "good point"

"Do you still hate him? Is that what this is about?"

"No, no, I don't hate him anymore, like I said; I'm looking out for you but I just can't wrap my head around the fact that you're only going to have one pup! It doesn't seem natural" I chuckled at the irony,

"You know what's going to happen now, right?" I asked, he shook his head "I'm going to end up with six babies at once because of you!"

He smirked "then it would prove both his fertility and yours, which means that the next time you chose a mate, males will be clamouring for you"

I sighed "Abir humans, usually, mate for life and quite often if someone already has dependant children then that's more of a deterrent for potential partners than an attraction"

"What do you mean 'usually' mate for life?"

"Well…what with divorce, falling out of love, abuse, death, not everyone can stay together forever, that doesn't happen with Houkou?"

"We mate for life but if our mate dies we don't find another one; of course that's Houkou's; dogs, like the ones in the forest, are different, they don't usually mate for life and if they do they'll find another if their partner dies"

"Aw…so how's it going with that caramel coloured dog?"

He laughed nervously "we're…um…close…"

I grinned "oh?"

"Shut up!" he barked quickly in embarrassment, I stroked his head,

"I'm just teasing you big baby"

He nuzzled into my hand "yeah, yeah" I rubbed my stomach "what?"

"I'm hungry again"

"You've only just eaten! I can smell the pancakes on you!"

"That was an hour ago!" I whined pitifully, he blinked at me "I had leftover batter…you want-"

"Let's go"

* * *

I lay back against the pillows on the bed with the medical book leaning on my propped up legs, nervously I stared down at the picture of a three month foetus; it was like a fully formed human only much, much smaller, my fingers ran down the drawing slowly and I swallowed the lump in my throat,

My head snapped up when I heard the front door shut from downstairs, quickly throwing the covers off I scrambled for the hallway "Dei?"

He was at the foot of the stairs gazing up at me in confusion "Akina, you should be asleep, un, it's past midnight"

"I couldn't sleep, I was worried about you" he kicked off his sandals and met me at the top of the staircase, gently leading me back to the bedroom, Hidan, Itachi and Kisame had fallen asleep a couple hours ago, I heard hear the snoring from the former and latter echoing through the walls, I didn't know how the Uchiha handled it "where have you been all day?"

"I was just…out, un"

"Out? That's all you can say?"

"Look, un" he pushed me down into a sitting position on the mattress "I've been thinking a lot this past month and I just needed to get some fresh air to clear my head"

"What have you been thinking about?" I asked, the blond sat down beside me and ran a hand through his hair, as he leant back his other hand landed on the book I'd been reading and he picked it up "Dei?"

"Just…about the baby and the new extension that'll need to be built, I think we should start it tomorrow, un, there's a shop in town that'll sell us the tools and we can use the surrounding trees for wood, it shouldn't take us too long, right? It's just a couple of bedrooms off the side of the living room"

"Uh huh" I nodded and grinned, he thumbed open the book until he found the page I'd been on,

"Is this it? Un" he stroke the picture in the same way I had been doing earlier "this is it right now?" I nodded again and he smiled softly, then he dropped the book to the floor and slumped to his side, landing with his head on my stomach, he nuzzled it slowly,

I twirled a lock of his hair around my finger "I know something's bothering you" I voiced "if you don't want to tell me, that's fine, but I would at least like to know if it's hurting you"

"No, un, it's not…please believe me Petal I'm just feeling a little stressed"

"That's fine" I stroked his head "it's perfectly natural to feel that way but please don't vanish all of a sudden like you did today, I was so worried, Abir couldn't find you and I knew you weren't in the village and I couldn't think where else you'd be!"

"I was in the forest, un, I was a few more miles north though, out of the packs range; I ran most of the way before my heart began to ache and then I took a bird the rest of the way"

"Why?" I asked curiously,

"I needed a change of scenery to clear my head, un, but I'm fine now"

"Are you sure?" he rubbed his cheek against my belly again and smiled,

"Yeah, un"

I kissed his forehead softly "I believe you"

"I'll leave notes if I leave again, un" he pulled away and locked eyes with me "I'm sorry I worried you"

"It's okay" I stroked his cheek and lay back against the pillows I'd propped up earlier "have you eaten at all today?"

"No…I'll go and get something now, you go to sleep; I'll be back in a couple minutes, un" he kissed me quickly and left the room, shutting the door quietly behind him.

* * *

Rose: Hm? I wonder why Deidara is acting so strange…well, actually** I** don't wonder but I'll bet you do! Hehe,

Review please!


	63. Final Stretch!

Rose: Sorry that the last couple chapters were so 'bleh' but it always takes build up for the next arc to completely work, it should pick up this chapter though,

Disclaimer: OC's and plot.

**There will be no update next week because I'm away camping, so you'll have to wait two weeks for chapter 64. **

* * *

When I awoke the next morning I was once again alone but this time there was a little piece of paper on Deidara's pillow, I smiled as I reached out to pick it up;

_Went into town to get tools, be back around soon. Love Deidara._

Sitting up I placed the note on the bedside table and kicked off the covers, it was around ten in the morning so I assumed he had taken a bird into the town, I dressed in a long sleeved white shirt and black leggings with my Anbu sandals before tying my hair back and trotting downstairs, as I reached the bottom I heard someone swear loudly from outside and exited the front door to see Hidan clutching his hand to his chest as Aimi giggled at his side, Itachi and Kisame stood at the side shaking their heads "is he alright?" I asked when I came closer,

"He's fine" the Mist-Nin waved it off "he just slammed a hammer on his thumb that's all" I stifled a chuckle "we're waiting for Blondie to get back with the real tools so we can get building" I peered over at the wood that was piled up around the side of the house "I took a separate bird with him to get that, I don't know what's taking him so long though"

"Why did he have a hammer if you aren't even building anything yet?" I asked curiously,

Itachi answered "he was trying to juggle it and it went wrong" I sighed "come on, you can help me mark out the area" I took the chalk from the older male and started drawing across the ground a rough outline of a large rectangle that came off the side of the house, I marked a door near the corner and then traced in a hallway and split the drawing in half to indicate the separate rooms, Itachi and Kisame started laying wood out in preparation and Aimi was bandaging up Hidan's injury,

We'd just about finished when Deidara landed his bird about ten feet away, the creation spit up a multitude of different tools that were soon collected, the blond wrapped me up in his arms and kissed my forehead "hey, un, when did you get up?"

I smiled "about an hour ago"

"Have you eaten? Un"

"Not yet" he frowned "I was helping the others, I'll get something in a minute" he nodded at that and then went to help the other guys with the beginnings of the frame, Aimi went with me back indoors to the kitchen where we took a seat at the table, her with a coffee and me with some herbal tea, I also had some toast because I was sure that if I didn't eat something Deidara would get mad,

"Typical manly men, right?" she sighed "won't let us help except for getting tea and biscuits"

I chuckled "well, I can understand why I can't help, they'd all be afraid of me hurting the baby. But there's nothing stopping you"

She winked "to be honest Hidan doesn't know anything about handiness, so I'm going to watch him make mistakes and constantly correct him because I know it'll drive him crazy" I giggled wildly as another shot echoed from outside "sounds like he hurt himself again"

"He better be careful" I sighed "he's not so durable anymore"

Since meeting Aimi Hidan had giving up his human sacrifices and therefore had relinquished his immortality, but that didn't mean he'd given up his religion, Jashin required his followers to kill in his name so the Steam-Nin would take animals from the forests and sacrifice them before giving the carcass to Abir and the other dogs, this allowed him to remain loyal to his God as Jashin didn't care if the bloodshed was human or animal as long as it was violent and deliberate, but he didn't give immortality to animal killers because killing animals was different to killing people,

"AIMI!" we heard him cry "THERE'S A FUCKING NAIL THROUGH MY HAND!"

"I'll get the first aid kit" she sighed as I went back out to the front, Hidan was bouncing around on his toes holding his wrist as blood poured from his hand, the others were ignoring him and continued with the work,

"Honestly" I sighed when I reached him "forgot you weren't immortal again didn't you?"

"So what if I fucking did?" he screeched "where's Aimi?"

"She's coming" I answered, as I said it the auburn haired woman came out with a small hand held case, from which she extracted some pliers, some anti-bacterial wipes and some bandages, after pulled the nail from his palm, he swore loudly but she merely told him to shut up as she cleaned and wrapped him,

"Sit in the corner" she ordered him when she was done, he went to argue and she dug her nails into the injured hand, he winced and sat by the front door with his knees pulled up, the woman then took the discarded hammer and went to help Itachi, Deidara and Kisame, I kept Hidan company as he sulked.

* * *

When the day was through the basic frame of the extension had been erected, Hidan had been banned from helping forever because every time he did, whether it be drilling or just making coffee, he always ended up injured so Aimi was substituting for him, it was lucky really because she knew more about building and woodwork than all the men combined,

Deidara was sitting cross legged on the bed rolling a piece of clay into a ball, I smiled as I sat beside him and watched, he wasn't making anything in particular and seemed to be focusing on a spot on the wall, when I touched his arm he jerked and dropped the clay before turning to stare at me curiously "are you alright?" I whispered, he rubbed his forehead and grabbed the clay again,

"Yeah, yeah, un, I'm fine…" he breathed out heavily "I'm fine" my hand rubbed his bicep gently,

"You sure? You're zoning out again, just like you have been these past couple of days"

"I'm thinking, un, about the usual stuff" he smiled at me weakly before brushing some of my hair behind my ear and kissing my cheek "how are you feeling?" he touched my stomach with his other hand,

"Great" I grinned,

The blond lay his head on my shoulder "symptoms? Un"

"I had a craving for pancakes yesterday" I laughed "but other than that I've had nothing" he pouted against my neck,

"You're boring, un" I giggled again and kissed his forehead just as he pulled away and reclined against the headboard, I slipped under the covers and used his stomach as a pillow whilst he ran his fingers through my hair "I love you…" he breathed quietly, I nodded tiredly,

"I know…"

I wasn't sure why but I felt uneasy, Deidara's attitude lately coupled with his guarded behaviour towards me was making me nervous, I just knew that he was being bothered by something that he wouldn't tell me about so I was to be left completely clueless, from the looks of it though the others didn't know why he was acting this way either,

I jerked when he pulled away from me "Dei?"

"I'm going for a walk, un" my eyes followed him as he cross the room and closed the door, I turned off the lamp and slumped down into the pillows sadly, I didn't sleep a wink as I waited for him to come back, by the time I heard his footfalls on the stairs it must have been close to three in the morning,

"That was some walk…" I muttered as he attempted to creep into the room,

He gasped "Akina? You should be asleep, un"

"And you should be with me" I propped up on my elbow and turned on the light "you were out all night, what were you doing?"

"It doesn't concern you, un" he pulled off his shirt and sat with his back to me,

"Excuse me?" I cried "doesn't concern me? It most certainly does when you're constantly disappearing for hours on end and leaving me to worry!"

"I didn't ask you to worry! Un" I set my jaw angrily,

"Well..." I turned off the light again "I'm sorry for caring" laying down facing away from him I blinked back tears,

Deidara sighed "sorry, un" he muttered lowly,

"I wish you wouldn't do this" I whispered "I wish you wouldn't be so hot and cold all the time! I wish you could just tell me what's wrong with you!" he leant over and pressed his forehead between my shoulder blades,

"I'm sorry, un, I don't mean to hurt you…I want to tell you but…it's complicated" I sniffed "did you stay up all night waiting?" I nodded "you shouldn't have, you need rest"

"So do you" I replied shortly "staying out all night and then coming home to build an extension, you'll take your arm off if you're not careful!"

"Wouldn't be the first time, un" he joked but I didn't laugh "Akina…don't worry about me, there's nothing wrong"

"You stay out all night, you're never focused, you constantly changing from warm and loving to cold and guarded…and you say there's nothing wrong? Ha!" he slid away from me when I spoke and I felt the covers move as he curled up on the opposite side of the bed,

"Don't start…" he mumbled,

I blinked tiredly and a couple tears dripped from my eyes onto the pillow, I sniffed quietly before falling silent, Deidara was shifting around behind me until he too fell still,

"Sorry, un" I heard him say before I fell asleep.

* * *

Something tickled my nose and when I cracked my eyes open I met with a pair of cornflower blue ones; Deidara grinned widely "morning, un" I blinked tiredly and tried to bat away whatever it was he was tickling me with,

"Go away" I rolled over "I'm still mad at you"

He kissed my temple "I know and I'm very, very sorry for upsetting you and making you worry, un" I peeked out of the covers at him and saw him holding out a white lily with a blue rim "I went out and found your favourite flower" he tickled my ear with it again and it made me shiver, as I sat up he held it out "forgive me? Un" he pouted,

I sighed and reached out for it, I cradled the bloom carefully "alright" a small smile graced my lips "like I can ever stay mad at you" he leant forward and met me in a kiss, his hands cupped my face to hold me still as he trailed his lips across my cheek and down to my neck where he buried his face, his arms wrapped around my waist in a tight hug, I tied my own around his back and peppered the top of his head with small kisses,

When he pulled back he was smiling weakly "it's still early, un, go back to sleep"

He was right, the sun was only just rising and I could see the first few rays of light from through the window "you woke me up to give me a flower?" I cocked an eyebrow,

"I woke you up because I can't stand you being mad at me, un" he lay down beside me and held me close, the flower had been placed on the bedside table and I could feel myself drifting off slowly, one of his hands was pressing against the small of my back and the mouth was moving around frantically but I ignored it and rolled over,

I don't know what time I finally fell asleep, but when I woke again Deidara was gone and I had been tucked into the covers tightly, there was a slight tingle on my forehead, similar to the feeling I got when he kissed me somewhere, there was a cool spot on the mattress behind me which meant he'd only left recently,

Forcing myself up I yawned and tossed the duvet off me before padding down the stairs, I peered into the kitchen but it was empty, the same could be said for the living room, he wasn't outside working on the extension and the others were still sleeping so I knew he hadn't gone anywhere with them; I scratched the back of my head curiously, there weren't any traces of chakra around the house,

Had he gone into the forest like a couple days before?

Finally I gave up and went back to the bedroom, I'd just sat back down and pulled the covers back over me when something chirped and moved from under them, I yelped and kicked them away, backing onto the pillows in a panic until a little white spider crawled onto the footboard, it slumped on the top of it as if out of breath,

I giggled to myself, but stopped suddenly when I saw it had a note between its pincers, motioning it closer I pried the paper away and watched it curl up on Deidara's pillow, this note was different from the others, the paper was smoother and had been rolled up and tied with a silky blue ribbon, I tugged on the tail and slowly unfurled it,

As I read it the air was sucked from my lungs, my face paled, tears began to drip down my cheeks and my jaw dropped,

There were only two words;

_I'm sorry._

* * *

Rose: Dun, dun, dun! What does it mean? Find out next time now that the third and final arc of Muse has begun!

Review please (I know you will)!


	64. Colours

Rose: We've found our cat, after two weeks and six days we found him! Luckily he's not so bad, a little beaten up but otherwise fine, he's bloody clingy though but I don't care because he's safe. Thanks for all your support and for being so patient with me about this. I owe you all a chapter don't I?

Disclaimer: OC's and plot.

* * *

After the tears had stopped I crumpled up the note with the two words and threw it into the corner of the room, then I turned to the little clay spider that had delivered the note and glared at it, it only chirped before I smacked it hard and it slammed against the wall, when it flopped to the floor I watched it scramble under the wardrobe for safety,

"And stay there!" I spat at it "and if you're looking at me through it Deidara then stop! Do you hear me you god damned bastard?" the spider squeaked and I changed in the bathroom just in case, checking in the drawers and under the bed told me his clothes were gone as well as his emergency clay,

Afterwards I blocked in the spider with towels before trotting down the stairs and into the kitchen, by now Itachi was up and drinking coffee at the table "morning" he greeted after taking a sip,

"Morning" I muttered in response, he blinked at me,

"You're eyes are red"

"Maybe I've developed Sharingan"

"You've been crying"

"Bravo! What do you bloody want, a cookie?"

He was silent for a moment "what's wrong?"

"Deidara's gone"

"I'm sure he'll be back-"

"No, he won't. He's left for good"

"What?"

"You heard me" I sighed, I went to toast some bread but then decided I wasn't very hungry and put it back,

Itachi tapped his fingers on the table "I don't understand…are you sure?"

"Yeah…" I whispered, brushing back some snow white hair "he must have left a good fifteen minutes before we woke up, all his clothes have been taken and his clay, as-well as a bag, looking in the fridge just now I saw some of the food was missing too"

The Uchiha laid his forehead in his palm "this is…unbelievable, I can't understand why he'd do this! He's given no indication of leaving or even that he was unhappy…" I remained silent as he sighed loudly "what're you going to do?"

"What do you mean?" my eyebrows furrowed in confusion,

"Well…with Deidara gone you don't have to stay here, I can escort you and we'll be back in Konoha within a week, of course you'll have to…" he motioned to my stomach "before hand, otherwise you won't be allowed to return and might even be killed; there's no way they'd allow the baby of a wanted criminal from another country be born, especially if it were to have the Kekkei Genkai, it could start a whole new war and that's the last thing Konoha wants"

I licked my lips "it's fine, I've been away from Konoha for such a long time that…going back would be far too surreal"

"You're keeping it?"

"I was going to have this baby because it's what Deidara wanted, just like the last time. Just because he's left me doesn't mean I'll abort it, that's not a good reason to. I'll have this child and I'll raise it by myself, I don't need him!" as I was speaking I'd crossed my arms and turned away to look out of the window,

"Having a baby because someone else wants you to is not a good reason to keep it either, you need to think carefully about what you're doing Akina; giving up your one chance to return home because of something you couldn't control is very, very stupid. But if you're adamant about keeping it then Kisame, Aimi, Hidan and I will be here to help you"

Glancing over at the dark haired male with glassy eyes I smiled weakly "thank you Itachi"

**ONE MONTH LATER.**

Four weeks later and my stomach was now beginning to show a bit more, everyone in the town now knew I was expecting and had no qualms about handing out advice or offering hand-me-downs, most of which Hidan was quick to accept, when Kisame commented on this he said it would cost less than buying everything new, only to freeze and realise he sounded just like his old partner,

The clothes had been packed into boxes and placed in the spare room, Itachi and Kisame had moved out of the other room and into the extension that had finally been finished and now Hidan and Aimi lived in the room they all used to sleep in,

The spider that I'd trapped under the chest of drawers had somehow escaped within the past couple of weeks but I hadn't seen it around so was unsure whether or not it was still in the room or even in the house,

Standing in the spare bedroom I watched Hidan and Kisame argue about colours, Hidan wanted to paint the walls blue because it could suit boys and girls, but Kisame said blue was cold colour to have in a bedroom,

"Does that make you cold blooded then? Fish boy!" the steam nin teased, I rubbed my forehead,

"Oh boy…"

As Kisame started chocking Hidan he swore "dude! I'm not fucking immortal anymore you're gonna kill me!"

"Is that so bad?" the mist nin grinned, still with his hands around his throat "we aren't painting the room blue!"

"Well it's not gonna be green either, reminds me of puke"

"Charming…"

Itachi entered the room with an annoyed sigh "have either of you thought to ask Akina since this is, you know, **her** baby's room?"

They stopped fighting and grinned bashfully, I giggled "it's alright; they were only trying to help in their…unique ways" the Uchiha rolled his eyes,

"If you say so Akina, now what colour do you want this room to be?"

I looked around, it was completely empty since the bed and furniture had been moved out in preparation for all the things we'd need for the baby "I don't really know, I haven't thought about it too much" the three men stared at me "give me some time to think about it" I said as I walked out of the room "there's plenty of time still, we shouldn't fret so much over such a trivial thing" as I shut the door to my bedroom I heard Itachi chastising the other two for acting so juvenile, I laughed gently before laying down on the bed, in this position the bump was more pronounced and I ran my finger over it with a smile,

My belly fluttered pleasantly and I closed my eyes softly, the fluttering continued for a few minutes before a sharp pain ripped through a single spot to the side of my stomach "ah" I cried out and shot up clutching the area, then it happened again on the other side "ITACHI!" I shrieked, he came running,

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know…" I whimpered "I felt pain and now…" he came and sat down beside me and I guided his hands to the sore areas,

"It's kicking" he said softly,

"Kicks shouldn't hurt like this" I whispered,

I watched him give a small smile "it's fine, trust me. Its chakra is developing and because it can't contain it like we can it expels every time it kicks, causing slight pain and bruising. My mother went through the same thing with Sasuke, it should stop in a few days" I nodded slowly "until then I suggest you take it easy, with the baby hitting you like that from the inside you'll be unable to move effectively, don't risk it by trying to walk even a little bit"

"Thank you…I don't know what I'd do without you Itachi, I thought it was coming early and I was so scared…"

He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and I rubbed my cheek against his shoulder "it'll be alright Akina, don't worry. We're all here to help you"

I blinked back some tears and resisted a sniffle "yeah…"

* * *

Another week passed and I had been bedridden the entire time, the kicks were lasting longer than Itachi had predicted and it hurt to do anything even hours after it had stopped, pushing up my shirt I tenderly touched all the small round purple bruises that dotted my belly, they were charming in a way but I still couldn't wait for this to stop and for the marks to fade,

I heard snuffling from atop the wardrobe and pushed myself into a sitting position to try and see what it was, there on the top of the piece of furniture was the little white spider "and here I thought you'd left" I said, raising an eyebrow as it climbed down the side and up onto the bed, when it was close enough it rubbed up against the side of my stomach "oh? Rather affectionate aren't we Deidara?" it chirped and continued rubbing, only to be knocked back when the baby delivered a powerful kick, so powerful in-fact that I could see the little burst of blue chakra, I smiled even though it hurt and rubbed the spot "there, there" I whispered down to the being inside me "I hope you don't keep this up for another four or five months, because if you do then I don't know how I'll cope"

The spider was back but now it had shimmied up to my shoulder where it place a small kiss on my cheek with its pinchers, I brushed it away and it squealed "don't give me that!" I bit out, turning my head away "and don't think that you can come crawling back in like this!" my eyes started to water "if you aren't going to be here in person then I'd prefer it if you didn't send your stupid creations!" the spider wailed softly but backed away all the same, returning to its spot on the wardrobe, I sniffed and wiped at my eyes with my sleeves, another kick caused me to wince and just after it happened there was a knock at the door and Itachi pushed his head in,

"Akina? Were you talking to someone?"

I looked up at the spider "yeah" he followed my gaze and frowned,

"Do you want me to get rid of it?"

"He'll only send another" the ash haired man nodded,

"I suppose you're right about that…how are you feeling?"

I smiled as he took a seat by my waist "much better, it's still kicking but not as frequently"

He placed a hand on the small swell of my stomach and gave a small chuckle "have you been using your chakra?" I shook my head "good, since the baby is unable to control its own source then you must be sure to keep yours in check, if the two were to meet the results could be dire. All that energy contained in something so small would do much more than hurt" I nodded in understanding, white locks bouncing,

"Is there something you wanted? Or were you just worried I'd gone crazy?" he smirked,

"Hidan and Kisame are talking about painting again, they want to get the crib in there so that its out of the way, the amount of times they've tripped over it is become tedious"

"Ah" I laughed "alright, alright…" I thought for a moment and my gaze landed on the large tree painted on the wall "yellow" I said after a while, tearing my eyes from one of the tiny birds fluttering around the white flowers "it's a bright and warm colour"

Itachi had been focusing on the same spot as me "are you sure?" I leant over and held his hand tightly,

"Yeah, I'm sure"

* * *

Rose: Damn. I am so sorry this is so short, you've been waiting all this time and it's about a page less than average, my apologies and I'll make sure that the next one is longer.

Review please!


	65. Months

Rose: Thanks for all the reviews, this chapter will be longer I promise!

Disclaimer: OC's and plot.

* * *

Painting the room took a good two days; I wasn't allowed to help because Itachi was worried the paint would be harmful if I inhaled it, but having Kisame and Hidan try and work together meant just one thing…chaos,

Even when Itachi went to help there ended up with more paint on the floor than on the walls, I resolved to buy a carpet to cover it up when the painting was done, eventually the dark haired man kicked them out and finished it himself, they sat on the sofa drinking tea and grumbling until the Uchiha allowed them back inside to clean up,

"It's all done" he said to me as I cleared the cups, I grinned,

"Then we'll have to get the crib up there and put it together"

"I'll have Kisame do that, every time Hidan gets a hold of tools he injures himself" I giggled in agreement "has the kicking stopped?"

"Yeah, this morning actually, I still feel it moving but thankfully there haven't been any chakra kicks for a few hours" as I finished a familiar fluttering came over me "here feel" I took his hand and placed it on the small bump,

He smiled "I don't feel anything"

"Really?"

Itachi nodded "maybe I will in a month or two, it's just not big enough yet"

From the side came sniggers and we looked over to see Hidan and Kisame hiding their chuckles behind their hands "ahem" the latter said "if you're done…"

The Uchiha scowled and I blinked in confusion "the room is fuming, so get your asses up there" the Steam-Nin jerked a thumb in the direction of the stairs though he was still smirking,

With the paint the room appeared so much bigger and brighter, I smiled at the sunflower yellow walls and then caught sight of the clean white crib in the corner where the bed used to be, it had been put together already, Itachi gazed at it curiously before turning to the two missing nin "you did this?"

They rubbed their knuckles against their chest "well…you know" they grinned at each other "we may not be able to agree on some things…but we can still compromise if we have to"

The curtains had been replaced with nice new cream coloured ones and in-front of it, diagonally placed from the crib was an old rocking chair "a little cliché don't you think?" I joked "where did it come from?"

"The shopkeeper's wife gave it to us" Kisame said "she said it was good for when you're still half asleep but trying to feed the baby"

"The carpenter gave us a discount when we had the box made" Hidan continued "he's a fucking legend!" the toy box was a simple square painted white to match the décor, it had been placed at the foot of the crib and next to that was a matching chest of drawers, I covered my mouth with my hand as I took it all in,

Something moved in the corners of my vision and before it vanished I spotted the clay spider, turning back to the men I suppressed a sob,

"Oh shit she hates it!"

Warm, fat tears rolled down my cheeks and the three males all looked panicked though at varying degrees "Akina…" the Mist Nin began but I waved my hand to stop him,

"It's perfect" I cried, smiling weakly, they mimicked me, I blinked and more tears fell,

"So…why are you crying?" Hidan asked,

I sniffed "because I'm happy!"

"That's pretty fucked up logic!"

"Hidan!" Itachi scolded and he fell silent "are you sure you're alright?" the dark haired man approached my side "do you want to sit down?"

Kisame elbowed his companion and together they slipped out of the room, I wiped my cheeks "thanks…I know I keep saying it but I mean it, thank you Itachi" using one arm I hugged him around the waist, he rubbed my back and I pulled away "I think…I think I'll go lie down for a little while" he nodded and watched me go,

Once in my own room I shut the door and sat down on the bed heavily, there were still some tears trickling down my face but I didn't stop them, tilting my head I could see the yellow birds on the wall and more water filled my eyes, covering my face with my hands I hunched over and started wailing loudly, I didn't know if the others could hear me but if they could they gave no indication and left me alone to cry,

The clay spider was back and I felt it hug my thigh but I didn't push it away this time, I knew Deidara was watching me though its beady little eyes but I didn't care.

* * *

There was a knock on the door but I didn't answer; I was curled up on the bed in the dark with my back facing said door, it cracked open and some light shone in "Akina?"

"Go away" I muttered,

"What's wrong?" Itachi stepped further in, I sighed loudly "is the baby kicking again?"

"No, I just wanted to lie down"

"Well…dinner's ready"

I shifted about and cuddled up in the duvet some more "I'm not hungry"

"Akina-"

"I'm. Not. Hungry!"

I heard him groan lightly "what's wrong?"

"Nothing"

"You've been in here since lunchtime. You started acting funny after the baby's room was completed, we all heard you crying" the bed dipped as he sat down beside me "it's Deidara isn't it?" I flinched "it's okay if you miss him"

I sat up furiously "no! He's a jerk; nothing more than a despicable, arrogant jerk who...who left me without any explanation and I…I…" bursting into tears I fell into Itachi's chest "I want him back!" the man stiffened slightly in my hold before relaxing and laying one hand on my head, I sniffed "I want him back…"

"I know you do" he said softly, stroking my hair "it's okay, just cry. You'll feel better afterwards"

"Did I do something wrong?" I whispered "we've been through so much and he just left, what did I do to make him leave me?"

"You didn't do anything Akina. You know how Deidara's mind works, he sees things as temporary…it's just a shame he saw you too as temporary" rubbing my eyes in his shoulder I shuddered out another sob before lifting my eyes up to stare at him,

"Itachi?"

"Do you feel-" I cut him off by pressing my lips to his quickly, he jerked back and snapped sternly "Akina!"

"Can't I just pretend?" I asked softly "please, just for a moment?"

"I'm not Deidara so don't pretend that I am. It's alright to feel upset, it's alright to turn to me for comfort but nothing more. I see you as a friend Akina and besides, you're not in the right mind set, you need to forget about Deidara because it's only hurting you"

Lowering my eyes I wiped them furiously and nodded "I understand…"

"Good. Are you going to come downstairs?"

"No"

"Akina"

"I'm not hungry, please, just leave me alone" he stood up and made for the door, then he doubled back and I saw him grab the spider that had been on the pillow the entire time,

"I'm taking this with me" he said before shutting me in the room.

* * *

The next morning Itachi returned, the first thing he did was drop the spider on the bed before taking a seat "Akina, it's time for breakfast"

"I don't want any"

He shifted about and tugged the covers down so he could see my face "you didn't eat last night, normally I would excuse this behaviour because you're upset but you're pregnant so skipping meals isn't good for you"

"Don't care"

"Akina"

"You can't make me eat if I don't want to! I'm not hungry!"

He sighed loudly "you have a point there but you'll have to eat eventually" I didn't reply "at least come downstairs…there's a letter for you" I shrugged "it was delivered by a clay bird"

I sat up quickly with wide eyes "what? Deidara sent a letter?" the dark haired male nodded and I threw the covers off to run downstairs, Itachi called after me just as I entered the kitchen to see Hidan and Kisame glaring at a small folded a letter on the counter by the window "is that it?" they nodded solemnly and I slowly unfolded it,

There was nothing written but out fell hundreds of paper notes, they floated to the ground and the other males stared at them in wonder, Kisame and Hidan collected them up as I looked over the paper in the hopes that there was a note but it was blank,

"Fuck…there's like fifty thousand in here!" the steam-nin cried, I gasped "where the hell did he get all this shit?"

"He must be working pretty hard" the mist-nin continued before laughing shortly "maybe he's become a gigolo!" at that the two of them burst into thundering laugher, Hidan even started to tear up,

I clenched my fists before turning sharply and fleeing back up to my bedroom, once inside I locked the door and threw myself onto the bed, burying my face into my pillow,

I knew I was being pathetic, I knew I should just forget him…but I couldn't…

Everything we'd been through; the Akatsuki, the miscarriage, Madara…how could he just leave without any explanation?

The spider chirped and I blinked back tears "I thought you loved me" I whispered to it, it took a step back "is that why you left, because I didn't fell the same?" it took another step back "then I'm sorry…I'm sorry I couldn't love you but I was trying to; if you'd have just waited a little while I'm sure it would have happened"

Closing my eyes I shifted my face so I couldn't see the spider, sniffing lightly I pulled the covers back over my head and tucked them in tightly before curling into a ball, the baby began to fidget inside me, vaguely I wondered if it knew how upset I was but I didn't linger too long and rubbed my belly softly,

Throughout the day the others came to the door to try and coax me out, even Aimi tried her hand at it but I remained silent every time so they gave up, only Itachi kept coming back and I knew he was leaving food outside the door because I could smell it, around dusk he came and cleaned it all up.

* * *

Rose: I tried to make it longer but I don't think I succeeded, I couldn't continue because it would give away the plot but next chapter will be an eye-popper!

Review please!


	66. Together Again

Rose: Thanks for all the reviews everyone, they were awesome!

Disclaimer: OC's and plot.

* * *

The months passed slowly and my stomach swelled as time moved on, the leafs on the trees turned orange and gold before falling to the floor to be covered by a thick later of powdery white snow, Christmas spirit was in the air and we were only at the beginning of December,

Every four weeks a small white bird would drop off another envelope of money which I never touched, instead Hidan, Kisame and Itachi would take the cash and use it to buy everything we'd need in preparation for the baby, when the need for money in that area ran out the rest was given to the steam nin and Aimi so they could safe up for the materials to build a house at the foot of the mountain, if they did that then they'd be barely half an hours run from us, if Hidan ran that is,

"How far are you from your due date?" Itachi asked as we walked through the town towards the clinic on the very edge of it,

"Um…" I pulled my scarf tighter as I thought "two weeks, don't worry so much" he smiled weakly,

"I'm just glad those kicks have finally stopped, it certainly takes after its father in the chakra department" I nodded solemnly,

"Yeah"

He rubbed my shoulder "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have mentioned it" we turned off the main road and saw the small building, the Uchiha opened the door for me and I smiled in thanks,

Approaching the desk the woman behind it looked up "I have an appointment at two, the name is Michiko"

"Uh…" she scanned over the book in-front of her "yes, here you are; Michiko" grinning at me she motioned to the door "the doctor doesn't have any other appointments so you can go right in"

"Thank you" I glanced back at Itachi and brushed some of my hair out of my sky blue eyes "are you coming?" he blinked and then nodded before following me into the tiny room, the doctor was a middle aged man with a kind face, the equipment of the town wasn't the most advanced but as I was helped onto the bed I saw him extract an ultrasound machine and a small screen,

He chuckled "it's been a while since I used this, around twelve months or so" plugging it in he turned to me "so, this is your first scan?"

I nodded "yes, we live a little out of the way so making time in order to come in is difficult"

"Ah yes, you live on the Cliffside don't you" I confirmed it "yes, yes, I knew you seemed familiar, so you must be the father then?" he asked the man accompanying me,

Itachi jumped and his cheeks tinged pink "excuse me? No, no, I'm her brother" the doctor tapped his chin,

"I understand, now then Mrs Michiko why are you requesting a scan so late into the pregnancy, I'm sure if you've developed this far then the baby will be fine"

"Well…a few months ago I fell into a rather deep depression and I didn't eat anything for a few days, the months following I consumed the bare minimum and that was only when Itachi was around; I've only just started eating full course meals again four weeks ago, I want to make sure I haven't done anything to have hurt the baby"

He nodded "depression is common during pregnancy what with the constant rise and drop in hormone levels, but if what you say is true then a small check up is probably for the best"

I unbuttoned my coat and lifted my shirt so he could smear some jelly onto my stomach; I giggled "it's cold"

The doctor twisted the screen around so we could see "okay, here's the head" he traced a round shape in the black and white mass "here's the feet…the hands…do you want to know the sex?" I shook my head,

"No, I want it to be a surprise"

"Fair enough…hm…how far along are you?"

"Eight and a half months"

"The baby looks a little small but then again they come on all shapes and sizes so its nothing to worry about I'm sure, you should just eat a little more than you usually do in order to regain the calories you missed out on" I nodded in understanding "other than that everything is perfect, your baby is healthy and seems to have developed well"

He cleaned the excess jelly off and Itachi helped me back to my feet, I re-buttoned my coat and re-wrapped my scarf "thank you" I said as the equipment was packed away,

"It's nothing" the doctor waved as we left, outside it had begun to snow,

"We should get back before you catch a cold" the dark haired man said, as he stuffed his hands into his pockets he extracted a piece of paper "what the…_Itachi, we need coffee, Kisame. _Idiot" I laughed cheerily,

"Okay, we'll get the coffee and **then** go home" linking our elbows I led the older man to the market.

* * *

"Hey, when did you get that tattoo?" I could hear some teenagers talking a few feet away as I examined the shelves looking for sugar,

"There's a guy in the next town over that does them, he charges a little extra than usual but he doesn't ask for things like ID, it's awesome!"

"Which town?"

"That one to the west of here, about six miles away"

"When did you go there? That place is filled with nothing but prostitutes and other such dregs of society"

There was a small pause "you get that phrase off your Mom?"

"Shuddit!"

"Dad took me there last month when he went to meet a friend, seriously this guy is awesome! Just check out the design!"

"What's his name? Maybe I'll get one"

"Um…it's Dei something or other"

I gasped and snapped my head over to the boys "Dei something or other?" the other one said "that's not very helpful"

"Look, if you're really serious then just ask anyone in the town about a tattoo artist and they'd lead you to him, he's famous there"

I clutched the sugar I was holding to my chest and covered my mouth with my other hand "hey lady, are you alright?" they boys had noticed me and come closer "you look pale"

"Oh" I pressed a hand to my forehead "I'm fine, it's probably just the weather; thank you for asking" I smiled warmly at them as I left to find Itachi, he had the coffee and also a bag of sweets,

"What?" he stated when I raised my eyebrows "Hidan ate my last bag" I shook my head and sighed,

"Come on, we have to get back before it gets dark"

* * *

Later on that night I sat at the kitchen table rubbing my hands together,

Deidara was only six miles away…

_Calm down, calm down…it might not be him…_

_But what if it is? He's only six miles away…_

I ran a hand through my hair and coughed; what should I do? Should I go after him? Itachi would never allow it in my current condition and even if I wasn't pregnant I was sure he would forbid me anyway because it might be upsetting…

_But…oh God what if it's him? I have so many things I need to ask!_

I stood up and paced around the room, from the direction of the living room I could hear Kisame snoring from the extension, Itachi was asleep too; if he'd been awake he would have come out already and Hidan was with Aimi,

Out in the hallway I realised I'd been pulling on my coat absentmindedly "I guess I've made up my mind…" unlocking the door I walked out into the snow at the same time as I secured my scarf, I would never be able to make it on my own so I walked around to the side of the house "Abir!" I called, careful not to let my voice get too high, he'd hear me either way and sure enough after only five minutes of waiting he appeared at the edge of the trees,

"Akina? You should be asleep"

"I need your help" I said, bending down to his level "I need you to run me to a town six miles west from here"

"Now?"

"Yes, now, it's very urgent"

He didn't look convinced but took a step back in order to revert to his true size, as apposed to being hip height he swelled until he was a big as a Shire horse stallion, he'd certainly grown in the two years since I'd been taken from Konoha; using his front leg I was able to lift myself onto his back "be careful as you run please" I ordered, he nodded his great black head and started off at a steady jog,

It was bouncy and slightly uncomfortable but after wrapping one arm under my bump I was able to accommodate it and he picked up the pace and started moving faster until everything that flew past us was nothing more than a blur; we sprinted so fast that the snow didn't fall from the branches as we passed; Abir barely touched the ground and so left no footprints "why are you doing this?" the dog asked "is it really worth it? If he left there's no point chasing him since he's not coming back"

I didn't answer for a few moments and when I finally did it was in a soft voice "I just want to ask him some questions" I said "and I won't be leaving until I have them!"

Abir began to slow down slightly into a fast walk "are you sure about this?"

"Yes"

"Akina I…I don't think this is a good idea" he stopped and looked back at me "it'll just set you off, seeing him again I mean"

"Maybe" I said shortly "but not having the answers I need will be far, far worse"

He lowered cranberry coloured eyes "if you truly feel that way…then I suppose I can't argue" he began running again and from through the trees we could see the first rays of light begin to show, Itachi would soon awake and discover I was missing but fortunately he had no way of knowing where I was,

We reached the edges of a run down looking town, in some buildings the windows were boarded up, the only place that looked like it was in good condition was the bar which was lit up inside "this doesn't look like a nice place" I commented,

"You sure this is right?" the hound asked, I slipped off of his back and nodded,

"Yeah…I'm going to go ask around, will you-"

"I'll be here if you need me" he grinned and turned away to vanish into the trees, I gathered up as much courage as I could before making a bee line for the bar, it was stuffy inside and filled with smoke so I covered my mouth with my hand to try and stop myself from inhaling it, all around me people were drinking and laughing with rosy cheeks,

_They've been drinking all night…disgusting!_

I looked around for someone who might be able to help me, I settled on the barman "excuse me" he looked up and raised his eyebrows at me "I'm looking for a man-"

"I think you've had enough men, hun" he smirked as he nodded at my stomach before laughing at his own joke, I rolled my eyes,

"He's called Dei, have you heard of him?"

"Oh him? Yeah, matter o' fact he's in the corner over there" he pointed to the darkest corner of the bar, squinting my eyes I could make out something blond in the dim light, approaching slowly it became clear that it was truly Deidara, I stopped and rubbed my face to try and calm myself,

_What do I say? We haven't seen each other in months and now we finally going to have the one talk I've been thinking about all this time…is he going to be mad? Happy? What if he's…oh, he's drunk…never-mind then,_

He was holding a bottle of Sake in one hand and pushing away a pretty girl with the other, when she tried to sloppily kiss him he snarled at her and afterwards turned to the side, I saw his fuzzy eyes land on me and he tilted his head to try and focus,

"Shit, un, I'm seeing her every-fucking-where" he muttered and rubbed his eyes "God stop punishing me!"

"Deidara" I said simply,

"You look like my muse, un" he smiled drunkenly "I miss her…she was everything I wanted in a woman; smart, beautiful, stubborn…" I watched as he tilted his head dreamily "I loved her…"

"Loved?" I inquired "you don't anymore?"

"No…I still love her, un, more than anything but…she hates me now…" his eyes fogged over "I'm never gonna see my kid…" I sighed "what do you want anyway? If it's a tattoo I'm not working today, and don't bother asking for sex either! So what is it? What the fuck do you want?"

I kept it short "the father of my child"

All around us it was like time stood still, the chinking of glasses ceased, voices fell silent and every eye was on us, the woman next to him shrank away with a pale face,

He breathed "Akina? Un" I shook my head and turned tail to leave "AKINA!" I made it outside and was halfway to the forest when I was pulled back by my arm "Akina? Oh God…Akina…God, God…it is you!" the blond was panting wildly "Akina…"

He shoved his lips onto mine and hugged me close to him, I clenched my fists for a moment before shoving him away and punching him hard, he landed in the snow and blinked up at me, the hit seemed to have woken him up "you're a bastard" I whispered,

Deidara leapt up and grabbed my shoulders "Akina…what're you doing here? Un"

"I think that question should be reserved for you" I spat, his eyes widened "why did you leave?"

"I…I don't…" running his hands through his hair he hissed through his teeth "I can't tell you"

"Bullshit!"

"Look, you shouldn't have come here, un, not in your condition! You should be resting, I know you haven't been eating right!"

"That's right! You'll watch me through the eyes of a spider but not your own, I came here for answers and I'm not leaving without them!"

He sighed "c'mon, let's…let's go back to my place, un, it's warmer and you can sit down"

* * *

Rose: OH MY GOD! I went two chapters without Deidara, that's a bloody record!

Review please!


	67. Pressure

Rose: Thanks for the reviews everyone, I loved them loads!

Disclaimer: OC's and plot.

Oh, and Cecil 0, if you can send me a plot idea for that pairing you suggested then maybe I'll do a one-shot, I've been trying to make a story with him but I just can't think of one.

* * *

Deidara lived on the edges of the village in a small building, half of which he'd converted into a studio, he unlocked the door and led me to the back where the living quarters were, thought I'd have hardly called it that, it was tiny with the bedroom and kitchen being the same room, there was a tiny cupboard to the side with a toilet, sink and a shower head, no curtain or drain, just a shower head…and it worked apparently because the floor was drenched,

"Here, un" the blond pulled out the only chair and offered it to me "you should stay off your feet" I snorted but sat down anyway, it was a bit of a struggle and I had to use the counter to lower myself "did you want anything to drink, tea? Water?"

"No" I replied lowly, he stood awkwardly at the edge of the room and avoided eye contact,

"So…um…you've gotten really big, un" I turned my head to look at him "how far along are you again?"

"Eight and a half months"

"Wow…" he breathed and gazed at the floor with interest "so how did you find me?"

"You've become rather famous" I said snidely "people are talking about you even in our town" he blinked "I wouldn't have thought tattoos would have been something you'd take up"

"What do you mean?"

"Well…they aren't exactly fleeting are they?"

Deidara chuckled shortly "yeah…but when you think about it, tattoos fade or get damaged or become altered when skin sags, so when you think about it…tattoos are forever changing"

I smiled "hm, you could make anything fleeting" he shuffled around "why didn't you run any further?"

"I had to stay within the range of the spider, otherwise it would have frozen, but I had to be far enough away so that you wouldn't stumble on me" I nodded,

"Ah"

We fell into silence again, I was beginning to think that this wasn't such a good idea, I'd completely gotten in over my head with tracking him down…I should have just left it well enough alone,

I sighed softly and he glanced over "this isn't exactly what you imagined…is it? Un" shaking my head slowly my lily white locks swayed, he ran a hand through his own hair "I'm sorry…but I can't come back"

"I don't want you to" I said sharply, he looked shocked "I just want answers" he gulped,

"Yeah, un"

Already I could feel tears blurring my vision though I tried to blink them back "why did you leave?" he shrugged "Deidara!"

"I don't know how to answer that, un"

"You don't know why you left?"

"No! I know why I left but…it's hard to out into words to explain it to someone else, un" I turned my head away and tried to stop my shoulders shaking "please, I didn't want to leave you; I love you-"

"Well you're not acting like you do!" I cried out,

"I know, un"

"I never thought you'd be capable of doing something like this! Not once have I ever thought of you as the type of man who'd walk out on a pregnant woman and yet here you are! I gave up everything for you, my family, my friends, my village…everything! And you just threw it all back in my face like it was nothing! How could you? Is it because I didn't love you?" he stayed mute "answer me!" the minutes ticked by and he didn't say anything, I clenched my fists and forced myself to my feet to leave,

"Yeah" he whispered so quietly I wondered if he'd even spoken "yeah, it was because you didn't love me, un, I…I just couldn't stand it, I thought I was hurting you by trying to push you into it and so I decided you'd be better off without me…you're young and beautiful so I thought you'd find someone else"

I glared at him "I'm **pregnant**! Who is seriously going to take on another mans child? Especially with Hidan, Kisame and Itachi hanging around!"

"I did expect you'd keep it! Un" he yelled and I stared at him, he drew in a breath quickly "I didn't mean…I thought that you'd go back to Konoha, okay? I thought you'd finally go home and forget about me like you'd want to do for so long! I thought you'd have Gaara!"

"You're such a bastard!" I shouted "all this time we should have been together planning for our baby but you were planning how you'd escape! Is that what you thought I was doing? Did you think I wanted some kind of easy exit so I could pretend the last two and half fucking years didn't happen? How dare you…Ah!" I clutched my stomach suddenly as pain ripped though it,

Deidara rushed over with a worried expression painted on his features "Akina? Akina, are you alright?" he took my arms and steadied me "just sit down, un, okay? Take deep breaths" he guided me back into the chair but kept his hands on my shoulders "are you sure you're fine?"

"I'm just peachy" I muttered bitterly "not that you care, it was just the baby kicking" he crouched down and had to remove his hands, as he dropped them to his sides they brushed my bump at the same time as the child inside moved, we both stiffened,

"Was that it? Un" I nodded and he opened his hand out but then hesitated to place it on my stomach, eventually he did so and I saw months of stress seem to melt from his face in a few short seconds "oh…wow" he breathed, the baby pushed against the hand and I felt the tingle of chakra as Deidara fluttered some through the skin, I felt the baby move to one side when the man did the same thing on the other, it moved back over there again and I smiled, they were playing "is it a boy or a girl?"

I blinked "I don't know"

"You didn't ask? Un"

"I didn't think it mattered"

He wasn't looking at me, now he was playing with the tiny foot that had pushed up above my belly button "I can see that, un" he bent his neck and lay his forehead on my bump "I love you"

"I know"

"I'll never stop loving you, un"

"I know"

"You have to understand, un, I didn't want to leave you but…I thought it was for the best"

I reached out a hand and ran it through his hair "I don't understand why you thought that, we were so happy"

"But I thought you were faking it! Un"

"Then why didn't you just talk to me?"

"I'm from Iwa! Men don't talk about their feelings in Iwa! Un, we grunt and yell and if we show even the tiniest hint of emotion we're beaten up for being gay! I didn't know how to talk to you! It's useless anyway, an Iwa and a Konoha can't be together; the differences are too great between the villages and their customs and traditions, just look at how I used to treat you! The degrading way I showed you off to everyone and bullied you about is considered normality in Stone, no one would have dreamed of doing something so insulting where you're from!"

His shoulders were shaking slightly and I stroked his head "Deidara I...back in Ame you told me it didn't matter about our villages because we weren't part of them anymore"

"Bullshit! I said that so you'd stop whining and sleep with me again! Of course our villages matter, even if you leave or abandon it that doesn't change the fact the norms and values of that place are deeply rooted in your identity, un"

"I guess not"

He stood up sharply and turned his back to me to wipe his eyes "there, you see? So coming here was a waste of time, you should just go home because it's painfully clear we aren't compatible, un, you should go find someone who you can really fall in love with and have lots of children with him, okay? I'll send money for the baby so that-"

"I don't want your money" we'd returned to the brisk, icy conversation of before "if you don't want to be a part of its life then fine, do what you want, but you aren't going to do what you've been doing these past few months!" tears built up in my eyes again and I furiously blinked them away "every time I get comfortable that's when your birds arrive, and every time I think it's you telling me you're coming back! Well not any more, you hear me? I don't want your money if you aren't going to be involved in any other form!"

"Akina-"

I shook my head wildly "NO! I hate you! I fucking hate you Deidara! You enter my life and turn it completely upside down and I give everything to you, **everything**, and after all we've been through with Pein and Ame and Madara I thought we'd finally have been able to settle down but you just had to ruin it! You weren't happy with the happy family's model even though **you** created it! You've made everything wrong, Deidara; I thought…I thought I loved you!"

He jumped "Petal-"

I wrenched the ring from my finger and yanked the crystal over my neck before throwing them both at him, he hadn't expected it so he jerked his arms up to shield his face and when he'd lowered them again I was already struggling from the room, I made it outside and heard him coming after me so I held onto my bump and half jogged to the trees where I knew it would be easy to lose him, he started shouting and calling for me and then I felt his chakra flicker to the south somewhere, a different direction to me as I was headed east to find Abir,

I'd walked what must have been a mile and still no sign of the dog, I stopped and rested against a tree before peering around for him, when I saw nothing I carried on, I didn't care give any indication of a sound because no doubt Deidara had clay animals everywhere on the look out,

A shooting pain, not unlike the one I'd felt before, caused me to stop and gasp for breath, I went to move again but it hurt to much so I sank down into the snow,

"This is a fine mess you've gotten yourself into" I scolded "lost in the middle of a forest in the early hours of morning, no one knows you're here, you're in pain and there are wolves around!" as I said it the high pitched howl made me shiver "that and it's fucking freezing!" I pulled my coat tighter and held my stomach pitifully as more pain followed "stop kicking for just one second!" I begged but it didn't let up and grew harder "if you want your daddy then you're out of luck because he doesn't want us! I know he played with you for a tiny bit but that didn't mean anything!" as if it was arguing the baby kicked down on a sensitive bundle of nerves near the bottom of my pelvis "you're going to be a pain in the butt when you get out, I can see it now!" I smiled weakly at pun "you're going to have blue eyes; that much is obvious, but I'll bet you have his blond hair since it's dominant over my white"

Another kick made me gasp and a few teardrops rolled down my cheeks,

"And…and you're going to be really spoilt because you have three uncles and they can't wait to meet you and shower you with the toys they bought"

One more kick and I was gasping for air,

"Ow…something tells me this isn't your doing!" I shivered with cold and fright. I was lost in a forest with no one to help me and I couldn't move "ah…" groaning loudly I curled into a ball,

"Akina? Akina, where are you? Un"

I didn't think I'd have ever been happy to hear Deidara's voice again "over here!" I forced out, his chakra came closer and suddenly he was crouching down next to me,

"Oh God, please tell me you're alright! Un, I'll never forgive myself something happened!"

My fingers grabbed at his shirt and his eyes widened "Deidara! Shut up for one second, please!"

"Listen, un, I know I've been an idiot but if you really don't want the money that's fine, but I was wondering if you'd let me send it letters because I'd still want it to know me even if I wasn't there, you'd never have to hear from me again it would just be the kid and if it doesn't read them I don't care I'll keep sending them anyway! Please Akina, I want to do something even if I'm not hands on and…what's wrong?"

"Deidara, in about ten seconds none of this is going to matter because I'll have socked you in the lip!"

His face froze "huh?" he said dumbly,

"The baby's coming you idiot!"

* * *

Rose: Man, I cut that deadline close, only just finished it yesterday morning, and I do mean morning, woke up around four and couldn't get back to sleep.

Review please!


	68. Enduring Labour Part 1

Rose: Woo! New chapter just for all of you, love me? I know you do.

Disclaimer: OC's and plot.

* * *

Deidara burst through the doors of the clinic with me in his arms; he was panting frantically "SHE'S GOING TO HAVE MY BABY! Un" he screamed at the woman, she was filing some papers behind the desk and chewing bubble gum, the bubble she'd been blowing popped when she saw us,

"Um…okay, are you having contractions?"

"I…I think so" I nodded,

"For how long?"

"Just under an hour"

"Right, right" she nodded "have your waters broken?"

"I don't know" Deidara and I looked at each other "how will I?"

"Trust me you'll know, it'll feel like you've wet yourself"

I shook my head slowly "I haven't had that"

She hummed and started filing the papers again "when are you due?"

"Two weeks from now" I gasped out,

"I wouldn't worry, it's completely normal for your body to give fake contractions in order to prepare itself for birth, I suggest you go home, put your feet up and have a nice cup of tea to try and relax"

Deidara and I frowned but there was nothing else she could suggest, the clinic was only small which meant she couldn't give me a bed if I didn't need it, he sighed as he carried me down the street back to his home "I'll send a letter to Itachi to come and pick you up tomorrow, un" he said lowly "it would be better for you to be somewhere familiar when you do go into labour" I didn't answer and he breathed out through his nose heavily "I'm sorry about all of this"

"So am I" I whispered,

When we were back inside the heat hit me like a wave, I hadn't realised how cold I'd been, and the blond lay me down beside the heater on his futon, I shifted it around so that I was leaning against the wall "I don't think I have any tea, un, will hot chocolate do?"

"I don't want anything, don't worry"

He rubbed the back of his head "are you hungry?" I shook my head "well…it's not like I have anything anyway. Just try and get some sleep or something, un, and I'll go get something, okay?" I sighed softly and watched him pull on his coat again to leave, when I was alone I made a seal with my hands and Abir appeared in a puff of smoke, back to his shrunken size,

"Akina?"

"Hey" I smiled weakly as he came towards me and hugged him around the neck with one arm,

"Are you okay? I'm guessing you found him?"

"Yeah" nodding slowly my hair bounced "I found him"

"So?" he pressed "what's happening; is he coming back?"

"I don't think so, Abir; he seems pretty apologetic about leaving me but not enough to return apparently, he won't tell me exactly why though" the dog flattened his ears,

"Don't tell anyone but…I kinda wanted him to come back, you haven't smiled properly in months and I don't like it" I rubbed the top of his head,

"Me neither"

He jumped and pricked one ear at the door "someone's coming, better make a quick exit" after licking my cheek he leapt up onto the counter and pried the small rectangular window open so he could sneak out, it banged shut behind him just as the door opened and Deidara stepped in,

"Are you alright? Un, I thought I heard someone"

"Just me talking to the baby" I rubbed my stomach fondly, he nodded,

"Right, yeah, that makes sense" he held up the bag with a forced grin "I have breakfast, un"

"Don't you have work?"

"My business, my rules, un" I couldn't stop myself from giggling, he chuckled softly and sat down beside me "it's nothing special, just some pasta pots and milk, are you hungry now?"

I wasn't, but I figured it would be best to eat it judging by the look in his eyes that told me he would argue if I didn't, the pasta tasted like cardboard and was hard to swallow, and the milk was like glue as I gulped it despite the fact it was supposed to be fresh, I knew it was just by body trying to reject it but I wasn't listening to it, Deidara look both proud and relieved when I finished "thanks"

"Feel better? Un" I nodded even though I felt worse, he threw away the trash and sat down beside me awkwardly "maybe you should get some sleep, you must be tired"

"I don't want to"

"But-"

I turned my head away "I don't want to" I repeated,

I heard him shift around "you're scared I'll leave again, right?" I flinched "you don't have to worry about that, I've leant my lesson, un, you can't run from the things that frighten you…you have to learn to face them head on otherwise you just end up hurting the people you love" he was fiddling with something and when I twisted back around to look at him I saw it was the crystal and ring I'd thrown at him "I've sent a message to Itachi, he should arrive sometime this evening, at the latest he'll be here early morning"

"Okay" I whispered, my fingers clenched on my dress, the pains were gradually receding, the woman had been right they were just fake contractions,

"Try and get some sleep, un" Deidara pulled down some more pillows and an extra blanket from the bathroom, somehow they'd remained dry in there, he set them up beside me and lay down, I did the same and turned onto my side to make myself more comfortable, it resulted in my back facing him,

The light from the morning sun shining into the room made it hard to sleep, the man behind me dozed off immediately but it took me until midday before the pains stopped and I could finally drift off.

* * *

I was woken some time in the afternoon by a sharp stabbing pain in my belly, I snapped my eyes open and gasped loudly as I curled up to try and ease the ache, as I did something wet trickled between my legs and when I'd kicked the covers off I saw a large wet patch on the futon "Deidara!" I cried, he rolled over and rubbed his eyes,

"Hmmm?" he moaned,

"My waters broke!"

He jerked up "huh? Un, what? NO! NO! ITACHI'S NOT HERE YET!"

I leant against the wall and panted heavily, Deidara hovered beside me nervously "ow…" I whined and felt tears prick at my eyes,

"NO! NO!" he pointed at my stomach "YOU STAY IN THERE! YOU HEAR ME?"

"Labour can last days Deidara, I wouldn't worry about it coming out just yet…ow…"

He wiped his head "oh thank God, un, okay, let's get you comfy and then we'll have a cup of chocolate or something, does that sound okay?" I nodded and he carefully picked me up, I cried out so he quickly put me back down on the floor, using a towel to pad the wet patch I watched him flip the futon over and replace the wet duvet with his dry one before helping me shuffle back onto it, he stuffed the pillows behind me so I could sit up straight "is that better?" I smiled in thanks before he went to fill the kettle,

When it boiled he handed me the mug which I sipped slowly, I couldn't drink well because of the pain so when the think was half empty it was already stone cold and Deidara had to warm it for me so I could finish it "owie" I grimaced and clutched my dress, he rubbed his hand over my belly and we both felt the baby quiver wildly,

"Shhhh" he whispered and ran his other hand through my hair "shh-shh-shh" I leant to the side and lay my head on his shoulder, he pressed his cheek to the top of it and I felt him smile "it'll be okay, un" I closed my eyes in response "we should get to the clinic, they'll have to help us now"

When I opened my orbs again Deidara moved away to try and pick me up, as he shifted my legs though I let out a painful whine and he put me down, he wasn't brave enough to move me in-case he caused more pain to me, instead he removed the mugs from the proximity and made me lie flat on my back "Dei…"

"Shhh" he kissed my forehead softly "it's okay, just hold on until Itachi gets here, please, un" I nodded and tried to keep my painful expressions to a minimum but it was hard as the contractions were very real now and they were getting worse by the minute, a couple of hours passed by which time tears had started trickling down the sides of my face, the blond wiped them away but I could see he was just as scared as I was because he kept checking the time and muttering to himself,

I scrabbled for his hand and clutched it tightly; he squeezed back and smiled "I'm sorry I yelled at you"

"It's okay, un, I deserved it"

"I'm sorry I threw the ring and crystal at you"

"I'm just surprised you kept them all this time, un, I would've thought you'd have thrown them out when I left"

"I thought about it" I whispered "but couldn't bring myself to in the end"

His eyes were watering too "did you mean what you said before? Un"

"Hmm?" I blinked in confusion,

"Did you really think you loved me? Un"

"Yes…but then you left and…it completely shook me up"

He wiped his eyes "so if I'd stayed we'd have been perfect? Un…if only I'd known I would never have done any of this"

I kissed his hand "I still don't know quite why you did this, but if you don't want to come back then I understand and I forgive you"

Deidara smiled "you don't understand and you shouldn't forgive me, un"

"Why not?" the smile turned sad and I began to worry,

"Because sometimes I wish I'd never fallen in love with you, un"

* * *

Rose: DUN DUN DUN!"

Review please!


	69. Enduring Labour Part 2

Rose: Okay, so I left a lot of you confused and reeling from that last chapter, so let's get on with this one shall we?

Disclaimer: OC's and plot.

* * *

Itachi had arrived around nine-o-clock with Hidan, Kisame and Aimi in tow, the first thing Deidara did was back away into a corner so he was out of the way, Aimi took charge by sitting me up and arranging the pillows behind me,

"This is possibly the worst position to give birth in" she cursed "damn, if we'd gotten here earlier you could have squatted or something" then she turned to the blond with blazing eyes "why didn't you get anyone from the clinic?"

He paled "well…um…I didn't really think about it, un"

"Of course you didn't" the woman rolled her eyes before turning back to me "okay, I'll need towels, a lot of them; Kisame go find some. We need to keep her hydrated so Itachi get a cup and stay by her side, try and keep her calm, Hidan-"

"I have the camera" he held up the object with a grin, Aimi rolled her eyes and sighed in annoyance,

"Fine"

"What can I do? Un" Deidara took a step forward, only to recoil as everyone sent him deathly looks,

"You've done enough!" Kisame growled, handing all the towels he could find to Aimi, she laid them between my legs and placed another two to the side,

"Alright, when did your waters break?" she asked, pushing my legs open as she did,

"Around midday" I winced,

"You're over the average length of time so it shouldn't be too long before its ready to come out" I was vaguely aware of Itachi holding my hand when I nodded in response to her comment, I dug my nails into his skin as a crushing contraction hit me and bit back a wail,

When I cracked my eyes open I saw Deidara in his corner chewing his thumbnail nervously, I thought back to what he'd said to me hours before;

"_Because sometimes I wish I'd never fallen in love with you, un"_

After he'd uttered those words I'd completely shut him out, I couldn't understand why he'd say such a thing at such an inopportune time; it's not like I wanted him to come back anymore, I just wanted to know **why** he'd done what he did. But it seemed like even that was too much to ask,

Aimi drew my attention back to her "alright Akina, do you feel the urge to push?"

"I don't know" I whimpered,

"Trust me, you'll know" she said "I've delivered a few babies before"

Kisame and Hidan looked at each other "really?" the former asked,

"Well…do cows and horses count?" they slapped their faces, Itachi sighed and looked down at me before offering the drink, I gulped it quickly and then went back to shifting uncomfortably,

I twitched and felt my muscles clench "ow…" I sobbed,

"There!" the woman cried "you need to push, on the count of three; okay?" I nodded "one…two…three…PUSH!" I arched my back as I did but nothing happened "take a deep breath Akina, now…PUSH!" she had her hands ready to catch the baby when it came out but right now I couldn't feel it moving down, Itachi rubbed my knuckles but he was pale with worry,

"Holy crap!" Hidan had the camera looming over his girlfriends shoulder "look at that thing…it's like a pizza slice! No man is ever gonna fucking touch you again!"

"HIDAN!" the others shouted and he backed away quickly with a fearful apology,

I gave another push and felt something shift inside me "I…I think it's-" I cut myself off by screaming loudly,

"We're ready" the auburn haired woman breathed, she pushed my knees up higher and then planted my feet on the ground, even whilst pregnant I was still flexible "okay…PUSH!"

"Ew…what the fuck is that bubble?" the steam-nin asked, still filming over my shrieks,

"That's the baby's head you moron!" the woman growled, her patience with the man wearing thin "another push, c'mon…wait!" we stopped and stared at her "hold on…" she reached down and I felt myself stretch some more and winced "it was holding its arm above its head, nothing to worry about"

I nodded and panted, using my free hand I wiped my forehead but as I dropped it back down it was grabbed tightly by another hand, looking to my left I found myself staring into Deidara's cornflower blue eyes "I know I've hurt you, un" he whispered frantically "I know what I said before shook you to the core but you have to believe me when I say I love you and I'll never stop loving you, what I said before stemmed from a few moments of regret and fear, I didn't wish it for myself; I wished it for you, because if I'd never have fallen in love with you then so many things wouldn't have happened and we wouldn't be here right now!"

"I'm glad we're here" I gasped back, he kissed my hand "I wish you didn't feel like you had to say something so heartbreaking but I forgive you, just like how I've forgiven you for everything you've ever done that you've felt remorse for"

The others had been watching us and we both knew from the confused expressions on their faces that they didn't know what we were talking about, the moment was forced to pass however when Aimi spoke again,

"Akina, do you want to pull your baby out?" I looked at her and smiled softly, taking it as my yes she extracted my hands from the holds of Deidara and Itachi and placed them under the arms of the baby still half inside me, she then let me guide it out, the moment it had been extracted my body felt like it had released a great breath and if there was still any pain I didn't notice it as I cradled my newborn against my chest, it was sticky and at the same time slimy but I didn't care and stroked the top of the tiny head laid on my breast,

After a few moments of silence whereby everyone was engrossed with the vision of the baby, Aimi lifted it away to wrap it in a towel "so…" the Iwa-Nin urged "is it…is it a boy or a girl? Un" Aimi finished cleaning the newborn and then opened the towel; I smiled joyfully at my child as tears poured down my cheeks "a boy?" the blond whispered "it's a boy?" he too had watering eyes, I knew he'd wanted a girl so I hadn't expected this kind of reaction, Aimi had a Kunai in her hand courtesy of Kisame which she used to slice the umbilical cord, then she wrapped him up again and handed him back to me,

I ran my finger over the tuft of strawberry blond hair on his head "he's beautiful" I breathed,

Deidara nodded "he is, un" using his finger he uncurled the tiny fingers of the babe and we watched as a tiny mouth, no bigger than my pinkie finger nail, opened up to wag its pink tongue at us "defiantly mine" he added as a soft joke and then pulled the towel apart so we could see the slightly larger mouth on his chest over his heart, I watched as the man frowned,

"What is it?"

He moved his fingers so they covered the baby's entire chest "he's not breathing properly, un"

"What?" everyone in the room stiffened, I turned to Itachi "do something?" he went to take him off of me but Deidara beat him to it,

"You don't know what you're doing! Un" he cried, laying the baby on the ground we gathered around to watch him push chakra into the mouth "the mouth is connected to the heart through a series of chakra vessels, these were dislodged when he was born with one arm above his head" he explained in a panicked tone, the baby was oddly quiet as the man pumped chakra into it, we could see tendrils of blue bursting from the ends of his fingers as he tried to realign the vessels, I covered my own mouth with both my hands as Itachi rubbed my arm, Hidan was still filming with his camera but we took no notice,

Tears dripped off of Deidara's nose as he kept forcing chakra in "Dei…"

"It's not working, un" he forced out "it should've fixed itself by now"

As he said it he pulled his hand away and chocked out a sob, I clenched my eyes shut "please no…"

"Oh god…" Aimi turned and buried her face into Hidan's leg, he dropped his camera and it clattered to the floor noisily, Kisame stood motionless beside Itachi who was staring at the baby,

Suddenly the infant twitched and released a tiny whimper, we all lifted our heads to gaze as he flailed his tiny, fat arms and legs and released a loud cry,

"Oh God!" I gasped out happily, lifting him into my arms and kissing his head; he quietened down slightly and snuggled into my chest, the room broke out in cries of joy, Hidan retrieved his camera, Aimi burst into tears, Kisame had to turn his back to us for a little bit and Itachi closed his eyes in relief, I pressed my still overflowing eyes into Deidara's arm "thank you! Thank you!" he stroked the baby's tiny cheek and smiled,

"It's a common problem with male babies in my Clan, un" he whispered "around fifty percent of them don't survive because the mouth moves during birth"

Aimi wiped her eyes with one of the spare towels and sniffed "okay…we should give Akina some time to rest, we'll be out in the shop front if you need us" I grinned up at her,

"Thank you Aimi"

"We're still waiting for the afterbirth but that can take a couple hours, call me if you feel anything"

"Sure" I looked back down at my son and cuddled him, the others were filing out but Deidara remained next to me,

Itachi was the last to leave and he looked back "Deidara?"

"I want to stay with Akina, un" we both looked at the dark haired male and he sighed,

"Alright" shutting the door softly I dropped my head onto the blondes shoulder and kissed the baby again,

"I love you" he opened and closed his mouth like a goldfish and shuffled against my breast,

"Me too, un" the man ran a finger over the strawberry blond hair,

I tilted my chin so I was looking up at the Nin "I love you"

"I think he heard you the first time, un" he chuckled,

I quirked the corners of my lips "I wasn't talking to him that time" his eyes widened and he gazed down at me "I love you Deidara"

He breathed heavily for a few minutes before replying,

"I've wanted you to say that for such a long time…" he said softly "and after all these months apart it feels strange that you should say it now, un, but at the same time it feels…"

"Right?" I finished, he nodded and pecked my forehead,

"Yeah, un, like everything happened for a reason" he slipped his arm around my shoulders as I shifted the baby around "I think he's hungry" I unbuttoned the front of my dress and held his head up,

"Ouch" I winced as he latched on "they didn't tell me it would hurt" we watched as he drank thirstily "greedy" I giggled before looking at Deidara "what're we going to call him?"

The blond moved his eyes to me "I probably don't have the right to ask, un, but how would you feel if we named him after someone who was always there for us?" I blinked "he was like our very own counsellor and if he was still around all this shit would never have happened I'm sure"

I grinned in understanding "I think it's a perfect name" looking back down at the baby I patted his back "little Sasori, I wonder what big Sasori would say about that?"

"He'd probably curse me to hell for naming my son after him, un, but then again…he'd also like the idea of being remembered"

"He was always about the everlasting" I agreed, rocking the small child "did you want to hold him?"

Deidara nodded and retracted his arm from my shoulders to nervously cradle his son in one arm and stroke his head with the other hand "he's not a girl, un, but he's still tiny…you painted the room yellow didn't you?" I nodded,

"And using the money you sent Hidan and Kisame bought white and yellow toys, clothes and blankets, they wanted everything to match, thankfully Itachi had the sense to get some variety and find some blues and reds and greens"

"That's good, un" he tickled Sasori under the chin, the babe grabbed the long finger and placed the tip of it into his mouth to suck, Deidara blinked frantically to stem the tears that had built up "I love you" he kissed him on the cheek, I hugged his arm and rubbed my own cheek on his bicep and yawned "go to sleep, Petal, I'll buy formula if he gets hungry again"

I closed my eyes but didn't move from where I was holding his arm.

* * *

Rose: The baby is here! Who saw that name coming? C'mon be truthful!

Review please!


	70. Return

Rose: Wow, what a reaction last time, I hope you enjoy this chapter, we've hit 70! Can you believe it?

Disclaimer: OC's and plot.

* * *

I hugged baby Sasori closer and cracked my eyes open to gaze down at him lovingly, he was cuddled up in one of Deidara's shirts and sleeping soundly, I kissed his forehead before settling down on the futon once more,

The door opened and two sets of footsteps went across the room "what are you going to do?" it was Itachi who spoke first,

"What do you mean? Un" I kept my eyes closed and pretended to be asleep,

"We'll be going home in the morning, are you coming with us or not?"

Deidara sighed "I can't"

"But you were so happy when Sasori was born, don't you want to be with him?"

"I do, un, I really do. I want to be with him and Akina but I just can't…"

Itachi shuffled around before speaking again "what are you afraid of?"

"I've done terrible things, un, I don't deserve to be anywhere near her, I beat her and raped her and-"

"She forgave you for those things" I tilted my head just slightly so I could watch the two of them talked, Deidara was running his hands through his hair,

"But I haven't forgiven myself! Un" he hissed frantically, I gasped silently and Itachi smiled knowingly,

"So that's why you left? You couldn't face her after what you'd done until you could forgive yourself, it didn't matter what she thought because you couldn't stand knowing you'd hurt the one you loved, am I right?"

The blond sighed "yeah…you're dead right"

"You should come back, Deidara, she needs you…and you need her"

He sighed and crossed his arms before turning his head away slightly "I don't know, un"

Itachi patted him on the shoulder "just think about it, I know you'll do the right thing even if it's taken you this long"

The Uchiha left the room and Deidara approached me side, I quickly closed my eyes as he sat down and ran a hand over my head "I love you, un, but I don't know whether or not I should go back with you, I need some kind of sign…a message that'll tell me what to do…but most of all I need you to tell me truthfully if you want me back or not, because in the end it's not all about me. And that's what I've been thinking all this time, me, me, me. Never you, you, you" he kissed my forehead and then kissed Sasori, I cracked my blue orbs open in time to see the door shut and sighed as I sat up on my side, using my elbow as support,

It was nice to finally know why he'd left, I could understand much better now. He'd left because he felt so guilty about our past together, why didn't I realise that it wasn't just about me forgiving him? It never occurred to me that he'd have to forgive himself too,

_Oh Deidara…_

Sasori wriggled about and I stroked his head, admiring the strawberry blond locks momentarily, before picking him up and holding him against me "are you hungry?" I whispered, he squirmed but didn't give any indication that he wanted food so I leant against the wall and rocked him gently "go back to sleep" I sang softly "you're only a few hours old, please don't start the whole 'keeping-me-awake-all-night' thing just yet, I'd like to recover a bit more" he opened and closed his mouth and then buried himself down into his fathers shirt before giving out little noises that indicated he was out of it, I brushed back my hair and nuzzled his head,

"Oh, how sweet…" I stiffened and jerked my head up, my eyes darted around the room quickly but I couldn't see anything "and to think, I tried to kill that little cutie" they chuckled and my body froze,

"Not you…" I gasped "you're dead"

"Did you actually see me die?"

"You stopped breathing!"

"I held my breath until you passed out"

"I stabbed you in the heart" I looked around again but I still couldn't find him,

"I used my space-time Jutsu to protect it, but the blow did cause some damage so I was forced to retreat without taking you with me, I've been biding my time until now"

My heart was pounding as he finally twisted the air beside the window and stepped out of the swirl, Uchiha Madara gazed down at me lazily with his swirling red eyes "**you**…" I snarled,

"Akina" he purred before raising his hand up in seal, I jumped when smoke engulfed him but quickly realised he hadn't done anything to me, however, a clone was now standing beside the real Madara, my eyes darted between them fearfully,

"What are you doing?"

He and the clone smiled "I'll be taking you, but the baby will be used as bait"

"DEIDARA!" I screamed, Madara didn't seem fazed and leapt over, the clone snatched Sasori despite my protests and the real Uchiha lifted me up into his arms, he backed away to the wall as the thunder of feet echoed from outside and Deidara burst inside,

"Akina! What's-" his face froze, and then contorted into rage "YOU BASTARD! Un" before he had the chance to run at us the wall behind us exploded out, we were battered by shrapnel of stone and glass but otherwise we were uninjured, I still screamed about Sasori though because he was lost to my sight for a few precious moments,

When it cleared Madara smirked "which one will you save Deidara? The woman you love…or the son you never wanted? Whichever one you don't save will be mine forever, so choose wisely"

He stared between us with a frightened expression "SASORI!" I shouted "GET SASORI! PLEASE DEIDARA!" I begged just as Madara and the clone ran out towards the trees, I tried to look over his shoulder but my vision was obscured by all the leaves and branches, I wriggled and tried to push away but he was much stronger than me, the clone was running along-side us and Sasori was wailing loudly,

"He'll be fine. I won't hurt him" Madara bent down and kissed the top of my head but I recoiled away and reached out for my baby,

"Sasori!" I gasped, the clone winked at me and then split off from us, vanishing into the foliage "NO!" I scratched at his shoulders and face but it did little to deter him "put me down!" I ordered "put me down!"

I couldn't use chakra because my body had absorbed it all after the birth in order to help it heal faster, even so that didn't stop me from trying some Jutsu in a desperate attempt, they fizzled out immediately though and tears pricked at my eyes,

_Oh god…I'm never going to see Little Sasori again, or Itachi or Kisame, Aimi, even Hidan…or Deidara! _

I sniffed and a few drops fell,

_I just want Sasori back, I don't care about anything else; Madara can do what he wants to me if he lets me have my baby back! _

"Why are you doing this?" I sobbed "why can't you just leave me alone? Deidara and I aren't together anymore so there's no need to separate us like this!"

"I've been biding my time for the perfect moment to come and get you, you were vulnerable all through the pregnancy but post-labour is when a woman is at her very weakest, I know from experience just how helpless they are"

"I hate you so much!" I seethed as he leapt from branch to branch "I don't care what happens to me but you **better not hurt my baby!**"

He chuckled "I can give you another"

"I don't want another! I want Sasori!"

"You named it Sasori?"

"What's it to you what I name my child?"

He shrugged "nothing, but we aren't naming ours 'Deidara' or 'Itachi' if that's what you're thinking"

"You'd be hard pressed anyhow because we'd never get to that stage if you've done anything to him!"

"Relax, the baby is fine. The clone will drop him off in the woods a couple miles away-"

I gasped "there are **wolves** in the woods! Are you crazy?"

"He'll be fine" he panted as he rolled his eyes and dropped down into a clearing, he placed me down on a stump of a tree and bent over to place his hands on his knees, I blinked unsurely and pulled my cardigan around me more securely,

"Are…are you okay? I mean, it's not like I care or anything but…"

Madara grunted "it's nothing, but ever since our last confrontation it seems I've been acting more my age, I can't run as far as before and my chakra seems to replenish at a much slower rate"

"Is that why you haven't 'teleported' us already?" he nodded and some sweat dripped off his forehead, I shivered slightly and sighed "I just don't understand anything anymore. Why do this?"

"Because I refuse to give up"

"So what? You take me back to wherever it is you've been hiding and then? Then you drug me? Rape me? Have you even thought any of this through?"

"If it worked for Deidara then it'll work for me, we just need time together. You can love me like you do him"

I ran a hand through my hair "please, let's just talk" he sat down beside me to try and regain his breath "you don't have to do this, why can't you go back to being Tobi? I liked Tobi, he was a great friend and lots of fun, I don't like Madara; he's evil and a horrid person. Wouldn't you rather I like you than hate you?"

He rubbed his face with his gloved hands "you hated Deidara once too-"

"Don't bring Deidara into this, please; this is about **us**…not him" he gave me a sidelong glance "just let me go…there can never be anything between us"

The Uchiha didn't reply for a few moments "but with time-"

"No, no. It doesn't matter if we could live forever-"

"I'm working on that"

"-there would still be nothing. I'm appealing to the nice side of you Madara, there has to be some part of you that knows nothing will come of this! I've decided to forgive you for everything you put me through but this…this I can't let go…you've taken away my son, dumped him in a wolf infested forest and now you're asking me to love you…well I can't! I just can't and I want you to **understand**!"

He sighed loudly "I do understand…" he whispered afterwards "I do…but I just don't want to believe it. I sacrificed the Akatsuki for the chance to have you to myself so you'll have to forgive my insistence…I've not wanted to believe that it isn't going happen so I've always held out some kind of hope" he looked so haggard and the bags under his eyes appeared even deeper than the last time I'd seen him,

"You aren't going to live much longer are you?" I asked softly,

"Unfortunately, I fear not. I don't know why but it seems my body refuses to allow me to live any longer…" he smiled faintly and clutched his chest "maybe it's heartbreak"

"Maybe" I said, at a loss to say anything else "does this mean that this stunt was one last attempt to regain your immortality?"

"Possibly"

We stayed in silence and the wind blew past us, making me shudder "are you even going to attempt to teleport?" he shook his head,

"There's no point anymore…I'm far too weak and my chakra isn't replenishing itself, the miniscule amount I have left will have to last me until I die, which won't be long I'm sure…I don't understand, it all started going my way and now it's over. We just have to wait for someone to find us. Amazing, you actually managed to kill me Akina, me, Uchiha Madara…even the First Hokage couldn't do that"

"I guess I should be proud but all I have is a heavy heart"

He reached over and squeezed my hand "I suppose now is the time to finally say 'I'm sorry'"

"I can forgive you for what you've done before, but I'm withholding judgement about what you've done to my son"

"He's safe" Madara whispered softly as he closed his eyes "now, if you'll permit, I think I'd like to rest a moment" he slipped onto his side and his head landed in my lap, I gasped as he became still and cold to the touch,

"Madara…Tobi?" I touched his forehead and recoiled in shock "oh my God…"

* * *

Rose: A bit anti-climatic I'll bet you're thinking, but I wanted Madara to at least be human at some point!

Review please!


	71. Reunite

Rose: Thanks for all the reviews last time, this chapter is another one of our Deidara chapters, so enjoy!

Disclaimer: OC's and plot.

* * *

I leant against the wall outside my house, Itachi had returned to the inn where the others were, Akina had to remain where she was until tomorrow because it was urgent that she get her rest,

She seemed to be sleeping soundly when Itachi and I had been talking, but I couldn't help but hope she had been awake to hear everything I'd said to him, to her and to Sasori,

Running a hand through my hair I sighed and closed my eyes, part of me seemed to assume I was sleeping out here tonight,

"DEIDARA!" I jumped when Akina's voice ripped through the air,

"Sasori!" my first instinct was that he'd stopped breathing again so I scrambled to my feet and threw open the door, my feet pounding on the floor as I went, the door to the room was practically tossed off its hinges with the force I exerted "Akina, what's-" I stopped when I saw someone I never thought I'd see before, Uchiha Madara was standing by the wall opposite me with Akina in his arms, beside him was a clone holding Sasori "YOU BASTARD! Un"

He smirked at me just before the sound of a huge bang filled my ears, I heard Akina scream for Sasori in the dust and covered my eyes and coughed, when it cleared Madara was still there,

"Which one will you save Deidara?" he asked me "the woman you love…or the son you never wanted? Whichever one you don't save will be mine forever, so choose wisely" I looked between them frantically,

_Oh God…_

"SASORI! GET SASORI! PLEASE DEIDARA!" the white haired woman pleaded before they were both sweapt out into the snowy forests, I ran to the opening helplessly and stared after them,

"No…" I whispered, then I started running, leaping into the trees I followed after the chakra signature with difficultly, my heart was already giving me problems and I clutched at it and at the same time the pair got further away,

Forcing myself on I ignored the pain and pumped more chakra into my feet, up ahead I felt one of the figures split away, I didn't know whether it was the clone or the real thing but I had to take a chance and I turned off to chase after them,

_Bastard…_

I had to keep going, if I could take out this one, clone or not, then I could turn off and hopefully go after the other one if it wasn't too late "please, please" I begged as the dark figure of Madara came into my line of sight and my ears twitched a the sound of a whimper "Sasori!" the cry left my lips before I could stop it and the clone sped up without looking back "come back here you bastard! Un"

On instinct I reached for my pouches only to feel nothing but my bony hips, I hadn't worn those pouches for months and had lost the habit because I was so depressed,

I would have to reply on Taijutsu and Genjutsu, neither of which I was very good at but I'd have to make do,

With one leap I was able to catch up to him, I swung my leg out, hoping to hit and unbalance him so I could grab my son but he saw it coming and slipped away, I cursed and followed him down onto the ground to run along the floor, he looked back and then stumbled, I held my breath as Sasori slipped in his arms but he held on and then sprinted off again, I was relieved and angry at the same time,

Again the clone tripped and regained himself, it seemed to be happening every fifty feet or so,

Was something wrong with the original?

He started slowing down and I did the same, he dropped down on his hands and knees and panted loudly, I stepped closer slowly,

"Give him to me, un" I ordered,

The clone looked up and smirked, the next thing I knew my eyes were stinging from the dust and dirt it had thrown in my face and when I'd cleared it the clone was already breaking through the trees again, almost out of sight, I screamed furiously as I gave chase once more,

_I want my son! I want my son! I want Akina and my son! I want them both! Please, let me not be too late!_

I glanced back the way we'd come,

_Hold on a little longer Akina, please!_

My heart was pounding in agony but I kept pushing myself on because I had no other choice, I had to do this!

The clone was slowing down rapidly; I knew this because I couldn't go any faster and yet the gap between us was getting smaller, once more it seemed to miss step allowing me another foot of space,

It suddenly dodged to the side and I ran past it, by the time I'd registered what had happened and gone back I couldn't see it anymore, I cursed loudly as I tried to follow the faint trail of chakra it had left behind,

Then I grew worried, the faint trail meant that it didn't have much chakra left, and if it didn't have much chakra then the original must be almost out…when Madara ran out then the clone would vanish…

In mid-air…

WITH MY SON IN HIS ARMS!

Sasori would fall to his death!

"God!" I yelled, trying to run faster, the trail was almost gone now and I was so scared,

Then I felt it, the unmistakable 'pop' that meant the clone was gone, my heart practically stopped beating and all the blood drained from my face, I was still a good ten minutes behind...what had happened to the baby?

I kept going and broke out into a parting of the trees; there was a stump up ahead where the chakra ended but as I got closer I couldn't see the tiny bundle that was my son on it, I dropped down beside it panting and reached out,

There was something red staining the wood….

Something fresh and liquid like…

"No…" I whispered, it was still warm as it stained my fingertips "please, no, un, you're not even a day old…you can't be dead"

Somewhere in the distance a wolf howled, joined by the chorus of its pack,

There was no body…where was the body?

I bent my head down and started crying, I couldn't save Sasori…and the clone had led me too far away which meant I couldn't save Akina either…I'd lost both of them!

Then from my right came the sound of rusting, I looked up and saw a canine shadow limp out, clenching my fists I got ready to fight it but then it stepped into the moonlight "Abir? Un"

"Hey" he wasn't any bigger than I remembered, still only the size of a large dog "lose something?" as he said it he reached under the thicket and dragged out a blanket, a small pair of arms lifted up and I gasped,

Hugging the baby to my chest I kissed his forehead, he was whimpering and crying and so obviously wanted to be with his mother; he was cold to the touch too,

"What're you doing here? Un" I asked the dog, he was licking his front right leg because there was a long deep cut in it,

"I brought Akina here to find you but stayed in the forest until she was ready to leave again, I heard the explosion and decided to investigate, I assumed you'd go after Akina so I chased after the baby"

"She told me to save Sasori, un" Abir smirked at the name but I ignored it "is the blood yours?"

"Some of it, most of it belongs to the wolf"

"Wolf? Un" I cried "there was a fucking wolf?"

"The clone seemed to realise it was going to vanish and placed the baby on the stump seconds before it did so, just as I reached him a stray wolf snuck out and was about to carry him off until I attacked him, he dealt a nasty blow to my leg but I saw him off, I was going to take him back to the town when I'd rested a little while"

I sighed "thank you, thank you, I don't know what I would have done if…" I stopped and hugged Sasori again "I need to go after Akina, un, I might still have a chance"

As I stood up there were low growls from all around us and out slid about five wolves, they were foaming at the mouths and snarling furiously "you should get going" Abir said, stepping in-front of me "I'll hold these mangy mutts off"

"Will you be alright? Un" I asked as I backed away a couple steps,

He looked back and his eyes flashed, before me he began to grow until he was towering over me as tall as a shire horse, the wolves looked a little reluctant now but one stepped forwards, an especially gnarled one with a bloody face, the one Abir had fought before "I'll be fine"

I nodded and turned around to begin running through the trees back in the direction I'd come from, behind me the sounds of yelping and snarling echoed through the air as Abir took care of the pack,

"Hold on Petal" I begged "I'm coming!"

* * *

I found Akina in a large cleaning sitting down on a stump with her back to me, I breathed a sigh of relief and stumbled around her, she looked up at me and smiled; the first thing I did was fall to my knees and kiss her on the lips, I was surprised when she didn't shove me off, but she didn't respond either,

"Are you okay? Un" I whispered,

"I'm fine" she said and looked down, I followed her gaze and saw a shock of dark hair on her lap, the bangs framed a long pale face "he's cold" the woman continued "I don't really know what happened, we were just talking and he said something about…feeling his age…and then he dropped down and stopped breathing. I didn't know what to do" her hand laid itself on Madara's head and stroked the locks "he said he was sorry"

"I don't give a damn, un" I looked up into her eyes and lifted one hand to stroke her cheek "you're freezing"

"Where's Sasori?" having pushed the bundle into her arms she burst into tears "I thought he was going to die!"

I wrapped myself around her and kissed the top of her head, she sobbed into my shoulder and Sasori wriggled about between us "Shhhh" Akina hugged me closer with one arm "I want to come back, un"

She sniffed "what?"

"I want to be with you again, un, I was an idiot for ever leaving and I'm sorry. I love you so much and I never want to hurt you again, please let me come back"

"It's not a quick fix, Deidara, it'll take time"

"I know, I'm willing to do anything, un"

She pulled away and wiped off her eyes "we'll need to speak with the others"

"I understand, un, let's go" I lifted her up, ignoring the pain in my chest, and started back to the town.

* * *

Rose: Hooray! They've made up…kind of,

Review please!


	72. Rekindle

Rose: Thanks for all the reviews, it's sad to say then that we haven't got that many chapters left, don't worry though, this isn't the last one, but we are coming to an end and it's so sad!

Disclaimer: OC's and plot.

* * *

I hadn't realised how much I'd missed our house until I stepped back inside it, the smell engulfed me and I smiled warmly before looking down at Sasori in my arms, he was sleeping soundly so I started up the stairs to my bedroom

Itachi, Kisame, Hidan, Aimi and finally Deidara, followed into the main hall, Hidan yawned "fuck, that was a long run, I'm hitting the sack" he ruffled my hair as he passed, Aimi smiled when she followed him and the door to the spare bedroom shut quietly,

"Will you be alright?" the Uchiha asked me,

"I'll be fine; you said you moved the crib to my room so I could hear him"

Deidara went to trail after me when he was yanked back by the Mist Nin "where are you going?" the blue skinned man asked with a frown,

"Er…bed, un"

"Not up there you aren't" Itachi was smirking as Kisame tossed him into the living room,

"Goodnight" he said "Deidara will be on the sofa and we'll be in the extension if you need us"

"Alright" I nodded,

I lay Sasori down in his crib and brushed his strawberry blond locks before kissing his forehead and slipping into my own bed, the pillows and thick duvet were like cotton wool and I cuddled down to fall asleep.

* * *

I awoke with a jerk and the first thing I did was look over in the direction of the baby, in the dim moonlight I could make out a shadow and snapped up into a sitting position, they turned around and I sighed "Deidara?"

"Sorry, un" he came over and quickly handed the newborn to me "I needed the bathroom and heard him crying"

"He was crying? I had no idea" I rocked him gently and saw milk around his mouth "did you feed him?"

"With those bottles Itachi bought and the formula, un, I was just putting him back"

"Did you burp him?"

He blinked "was I supposed to? Un" I smiled and nodded as I put Sasori over my shoulder, before I could pat him however Deidara reached out "can I do it?"

I showed him how to hold the baby and then he began to tap his back lightly, Sasori hiccupped "that's it" I took him back and wiped his mouth "he should go to sleep now" I lay him down beside me and twisted onto my side to watch him "he's beautiful isn't he?"

"Yeah, un" the blond sat down at the foot of the bed and rubbed my leg "I'll…um…get back to my sofa"

"Deidara" I caught him by the wrist "stay a bit longer, please" he looked towards the door and then back to me, I smiled encouragingly and he lay on the other side of the baby,

"Just for a minute, un" he whispered; I brushed back his bangs softly "Akina, do you really love me? Truly?"

"Yes"

He chuckled breathily "I keep asking you that but…I just can't bring myself to believe it, un" I stroked his cheek,

"What happened to Madara?"

He blinked at the sudden subject change but answered anyhow "Itachi and Kisame buried him where he died, un"

I nodded "that's good"

"Why do you care? Un"

I shrugged "I don't really know, I guess it's because, towards the end, he seemed more like Tobi and I liked that about him" Sasori shifted and we both lay a hand on him, immediately he quietened down again,

"It's not going to be the same is it? Un" we stared at each other "if I'd stayed we could be so happy but now…we're never going to go back"

"No" I answered truthfully "it won't be like before"

"Can we ever return to being 'us'? Un, or is it too late now"

"I don't know, it'll take a long time either way"

He noticed as I tried to stifle a yawn "are you still scared I'm going to leave? Un" I nodded slowly "I don't blame you" he brushed the top of Sasori's head "but you need to sleep, for him" I lay down slowly and closed my eyes, once more I grabbed his arm when he went to go,

"Stay for a little while" I begged, he sighed and shifted closer so that our heads were beside each other and Sasori was snuggled between us "just for a…few…minutes" I added before drifting off to sleep.

* * *

Sasori was gone the next morning but he wasn't in his crib, I got up and changed into some pants and a long sleeved shirt, my stomach had deflated after the birth but the fat and stretched skin was still there and it would take a long time for me to shift it, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and placed my hands on my hips,

"They're bigger" I muttered as I measured them before turning around and heading towards the kitchen, Deidara was in there trying to balance the baby in one arm and measure formula with the other, Sasori was wailing as he struggled "mummy's here" I whispered, taking him from his father, relief flooded both their faces,

"Can you feed him? Un, I spilt half the powder down the sink" I nodded and slipped the infants head under my shirt so he could drink "is anyone else up?"

"I don't think so, they're probably really tired"

"Yeah, I am too, un, but I couldn't sleep"

I burped the baby "why not?" he filled the toaster with bread and sighed,

"I was worried, about Sasori I mean, un, I kept thinking if I fell asleep that he'd stop breathing. So I stayed up all night watching"

"You're paranoid, he's perfectly healthy and it's because you saved him"

"It doesn't stop me worrying, un, it's something that could affect him the rest of his life. If the heart was dislodged once it can happen again"

I gazed at him "you get a lot of heart problems in your family?"

He nodded "the men do, the women are usually fine. It's because the mouths on our chests doesn't allow for much room"

"Yeah" I lifted Sasori up in the air and grinned at him "shall we go try on some of your new clothes?" I asked him, he blinked and puckered his lips "are you going to help?" this time I directed the question to Deidara, the toaster popped his bread but he ignored it and followed after me to the nursery,

Sasori had been wrapped in his fathers shirt since he was born, so he was in dire need of a wash and a change, moving into my ensuite after selecting an outfit for him we filled the sink with warm, soapy water and sat him in it, right away he began to slap the surface and gurgle, I trickled water down his back and washed under his chin, when I was done I handed him over to Deidara who wrapped him in a towel "we make a good team, un" he joked, I grinned,

"We do, don't we?" I added as I pecked our son on the head and pulled out one of the pale yellow baby-grow jumpsuits and a nappy, after he was dressed he appeared much happier and we lay him on the bed and sat either side of him "you're my little miracle" I whispered "before you were even born you survived so much, and it got even worse afterwards"

The blond stroked the head of fluff "he's got your eyes, un"

"All babies have light blue eyes, they'll probably darken in a few months" he sighed and leant over, I thought he was going to kiss the baby, so was surprised when his lips found my forehead "Dei"

"I love you, un, but I understand that we have to take our time with something as delicate as this. It's not just us anymore is it? We have Sasori to think about too"

I smirked "that's probably the most mature thing I've ever heard you say" he stared at me "I love you to, and you're right. Maybe if we just spend time together with Sasori like this then we'll soon be able to see if we can salvage what we had"

"That's a good plan, un"

* * *

Days turned to weeks. Deidara was forced to sleep in the living room but each night he would come into the bedroom where we would talk before falling asleep, we never touched except for the occasional kiss on the forehead or cheek and slept side by side, me under the covers and him on-top of them,

When morning came we'd feed Sasori together, bathe him and play with him, when the others awoke Deidara would quickly retreat and let them take over, Itachi especially because he'd been keeping an eye on the blond since we'd returned,

Sitting in the kitchen I bounced the infant on my knee, he had grown so much since he'd been born, his hair had changed from a small tuft to a full head but had remained strawberry blond throughout; it was still early and everyone was sleeping, Deidara included,

Outside the ground was coated in a fresh layer of snow, the sun glistened off it beautifully and I held my son in my arms as I gazed out of the window "isn't it lovely?" I asked him, his wide blue eyes watched the snowflakes float gently across the panes and I smiled,

"You know what today is?" turning around I saw Itachi in the doorway, I grinned,

"Merry Christmas"

He kissed the top of my head "you too. Such a shame we have no presents to unwrap"

"It's not important" as I said it I looked down at the baby who was now leaning towards his uncle, the Uchiha rocked him professionally, I knew he used to look after his little brother and often went to him when I was worried I was doing something wrong,

"Is Deidara still sleeping?"

I coughed "isn't he on the sofa?"

"You would know" he stared at me and I lowered my eyes "I wouldn't be a very good guardian if I didn't know"

"I suppose not" I ran a hand through my hair "we haven't done anything, if that's what you're wondering"

"I know you're too smart for that" he smirked "what have you been doing?"

"Talking"

Itachi tilted his head "maybe its best if you were left alone, so the three of you can rekindle without outside interference"

"Interference?"

"I've seen the way Deidara recoils when Hidan, Kisame or I come in to the room. You and he will never get through this if that keeps happening"

He handed Sasori back to me as we heard a thump from above us "daddy's up" I said to the baby, he stared at the ceiling with big eyes,

"Not the stealthiest of morning Ninja's is he?" Itachi joked as he left the room "maybe the three of you use a nice holiday?"

* * *

Rose: Woo! Deidara and Akina are coming together again!

Review please!


	73. Countdown

Rose: Woo, time for a little Akina-Deidara alone time!

Disclaimer: OC's and plot.

"Itachi" I implored as he opened the front door "this will be our first new year, everyone together…we didn't even have that when we were in Akatsuki"

The Uchiha smiled and placed a hand on my shoulder "we'll always have next year. But this year is for you and your family"

"You're part of my family!"

"We'll be back in the morning" with that said he picked up his bag and walked out the door "if there is some kind of emergency we'll be at the inn in the town"

I sighed "alright"

Shutting the door softly I turned and looked around at the house, it seemed empty now without them inside it "are they gone? Un" looking up I saw Deidara creep down the stairs, I nodded and he sighed "why did they leave anyway?"

"They thought we needed time together to sort everything, they'll be back some time tomorrow"

He tilted his head "so we have new year together?"

"Uh huh"

"Maybe I could create some fireworks, I did that last year and you loved it, un"

I smiled "I think I'd prefer to stay inside by the fire"

"That's good too, un" he was holding Sasori who was half asleep "by the way, why is my son wearing pink? Isn't that a girl's colour where you come from?"

I grinned as I took the child, held him up and laughed "Hidan washed the white baby-grows with his red shirt"

"When you say red shirt, un, do you mean…red shirt or 'red' shirt?"

My eyebrows raised themselves "I mean the red shirt he bought last month that he's only worn three times"

"Ah" sitting on the sofa I bounced the infant on my knee, he gazed up at me and puckered his lips, I kissed his forehead and he squirmed about "would you feed him?" I asked "I'm feeling a little tired"

"Sure, un" I handed him back and went upstairs to change, as I came back down I saw Deidara with the bottle leaning against the counter with Sasori drinking greedily, he looked up when I entered the kitchen and his eyes widened "is that the one I got you?"

I was wearing the ankle length red nightdress "yeah, it's the only one that will fit around my…" I motioned to my chest with a slight blush "since they've swollen so much"

He stared at me in silence for a few moments before jumping suddenly "yeah, of course…um…it looks great, un" I was wearing a white cardigan with it so it wasn't so risqué but it didn't hide the obvious curve of my bust,

When Sasori had finished I took him back and sat in the living room with him in my arms and my legs tucked under me, Deidara came in and sat cross legged in-front of the fire and began to try and light it "we'll need a grate on that when he begins to crawl" I mused,

"Good point, un, but that's a while now" he grinned at me "until then why don't we just…relax in the firelight and await the new year?" he slid in beside me and leant over to brush our sons hair, he had fallen asleep on my chest so I could use both arms to read my book,

In the light of the fire I became drowsy and lay my head down on the arm of the sofa before falling into a light doze.

When I woke up again my arms were empty, I lifted my head and glanced around tiredly "Sasori?" I yawned,

"I've got him, un" turning around I saw Deidara walk back in with our son in his hold, he sat down and rocked him gently "he woke up a little before you so I took him to get another bottle"

I sighed "he was crying again?" he nodded and I covered my face with my hands, the man rushed over quickly as I let out a small sob "Deidara…am I a bad mother?"

"What?" he gasped "of course not, un, why would you say that?"

"It's just…I never hear him cry! Even when he's right next to me!" I wiped off my eyes quickly "why can't I wake up when he needs me?"

The blond leant back and sighed "you're tired, un, it's only natural you'd sleep through a few things"

"But…what if something happened? What if he stopped breathing like you said and I didn't notice? What if he was crying for hours and I didn't hear?"

Deidara pulled me closer to him so I was leaning on his side, Sasori was resting on his shoulder, his tiny fingers curled into his fathers shirt, I cuddled into the mans waist and closed my eyes "you don't ever have to worry, un, I'm always here with you to make sure he's okay"

I nodded slowly and sniffed, he stroked the top of my head, running his fingers through my hair, causing shivers to run down my spine,

At some point I dozed off again and when I woke up I could see the sun setting out the window, I stretched out and heard my bones crack, both Sasori and Deidara weren't there but there was a piece of paper on the coffee table, my heart jumped in fear until I read the words and it returned to its usual pace,

_Gone into town to get something for dinner, Sasori is in his crib sound asleep._

As I finished it the door clicked and Deidara stumbled in, covered in snow, I smiled as he placed a bag on the table "you know, for a minute there I actually thought you'd left again"

"Yeah, I did think about those repercussions, un, luckily I wasn't gone to long, and I managed to get there just before the shops closed"

"What did you get?" I asked, peering into the bag "party food?"

"For New Year…and we can eat it for your birthday tomorrow, un"

I stretched again and got up get some plates from the kitchen, he followed me to help "anything to drink?"

"I was going to get wine, un, but you're still breast feeding so I just got cranberry juice…we can pretend"

"That's always fun" we went to leave the room at the same time and stopped in the doorway, looking at each other, as I stared up at the man something green drew my attention and I saw a small piece of mistletoe "Hidan…" I muttered, he'd put it there to get Aimi over Christmas and had forgotten to take it down, Deidara saw it too and smiled,

"You know the rules, un"

I cocked an eyebrow "was it cut by a druid using a silver sickle and never touched the ground?"

"I think it's plastic actually, un" he cupped my cheek and touched our noses together "but I don't really care to be honest"

I closed my eyes and took a small intake of breath as our lips pressed against one another, his hand moved around to the back of my head to hold me in place; it was chaste and quick as he pulled back after a few moments "Dei…"

"I'm sorry, un"

"I didn't mind…it was nice" he grinned "again?"

It was a little harder the second time, and he parted him mouth to swipe his tongue over my bottom lip, I opened for him and at the same time he lifted me up, the plates were dumped messily on the table as we dropped down onto the sofa, still kissing "I love you, un" he panted, trailing his way down my neck, nipping softly as he went, his other hand was clutching my hip,

"I love you too" I ran my hand through his hair and tilted my head so we could deepen it even more, the hand he was using to support my head moved down and he tried to push off my cardigan "ah…" I pushed him away suddenly but gently "we can't do that"

"Why not? Un" he was breathing heavily and sat on his knees to straddle me,

"It's too soon"

"But-"

"I'm still healing…down there, I mean…and I think the two of us still have some things to work out"

He locked eyes with me and silence followed, then he nodded "I understand, un" we parted and I held his hand tightly, he squeezed back "don't tell Itachi…he'd kill me if he knew I tried to…"

I mimed zipping my lips "don't worry, I don't want to get yelled at either" he smirked,

"It's like we're kids babysitting or something, un"

"Well…Itachi is kind of like a guardian…and he is 'allowing' us to be alone together"

Deidara rubbed the back of his head "guess you're right, un" I laughed, his other hand had retreated into his pants pocket and he looked down at it "I really wanted to do something special, you know? That's why I went out and got all this stuff, I wanted tonight to be **the **night, the night we forgot everything and got back together…I wanted to celebrate"

"Dei-" I was cut off by a loud cry from upstairs "oh…" I retracted the hand I was going to use to touch his shoulder and instead pulled away from him so I could collect Sasori, I changed him and he quietened down immediately, I would have put him back in the crib but I wanted a reason not to sucked back into a romantic situation so quickly again, so I took him down with me, Deidara didn't look disappointed and shifted closer so they could play "what do you think would have happened…if we'd never lost the first one?" he stopped tickling the baby and blinked at me, the he dropped his gaze,

"We would have never seen it, Pein would have taken it the moment it was born so he could turn it into a weapon, un, what's more; we would still be being tormented by Madara…and you'd probably hate me"

I rubbed the top of Sasori's head "do you ever regret losing it?"

He sighed "no…I was heartbroken for a long time but I realise now that if we'd never lost it we'd have been trapped, un"

I smiled lightly "so…Madara saved us then?"

Deidara smirked "yeah…I guess he did, un"

Turning to look back at the fire I sighed "it doesn't feel that long ago"

"I know what you mean, un" he was sitting on the floor, leaning against my legs with his head on my lap, Sasori was in his arms fast asleep "how long until New Year?"

"Four hours, roughly"

He took a deep breath "if only we could have sex for hours on end…like we did that first year, un" I giggled and brushed some hair from my face,

"Maybe next year"

"If you still love me…heh…I wanted to tell you that first year but I got scared, un"

"I can't believe you kept it secret so long…I'll bet you wanted to explode"

"You have no idea" he said drolly, I kissed his head and he shut his eyes "wake me when it's New Year, un"

"Good luck…I'm falling asleep too"

The three of us curled up on the sofa together as the heat of the fireplace warmed us and the clock ticked quietly from the mantle.

Rose: That's it for this one, a little short at the end though,

Review please, it's still not over!


	74. Say what?

Rose: I'll only be updating fortnightly now since I've got so much work at college, don't worry though, I haven't forgotten you!

Disclaimer: OC's and plot

So the next update will be some time after Christmas, cause I don't want to update on that day and I doubt any of you will be checking if it's up on that day, lol.

* * *

I smiled as I watched Deidara lay the coffee table with the snack and party food he'd bought, when he was done he handed me a mug of hot chocolate and slumped down beside me with a groan "New Year is hard, un" I laughed,

"Right, hanging around the house doing nothing takes so much effort" he laid his head on my shoulder as I spoke "last year was hard, you almost blew up the house"

He chuckled "yeah…that was funny, un"

"No it wasn't"

"It was to me, un"

I giggled "you're terrible" after kissing his forehead softly I stroked his hair and smiled warmly

"Five minutes, un" he said "should we go outside and get ready to watch the fireworks the village will set off?"

I hummed "I'm alright sitting here" he nuzzled my neck in response, at the same time we tilted our heads towards each other and our noses crashed

"Sorry" we both blurted out, he leant forward and pecked my lips, I pressed back and cupped his cheek to hold him in place,

"WE'RE BACK!" the two of us leapt apart as the front door slammed open, Hidan walked into the room and yawned "hey losers…oh, food" he sat down and grabbed a handful of crisps to begin eating,

"What? When…I thought you wouldn't be back until tomorrow" I said,

"Yeah, Itachi got a funny feeling a little while ago so we came back" Kisame came into the room "oh, food"

"Stop eating the food! Un"

"Where's Sasori?"

"Sleeping upstairs, why? Un"

The Mist-Nin shrugged "just thought that was what he was worried about"

"Oh"

I got up "Itachi?" he was hanging up his coat and dripping snow on the floor "you're cleaning that up"

"I know"

"You aren't supposed to be back until tomorrow, what's wrong?"

He frowned "I just felt…strange" the dark haired man sighed "were you and Deidara getting along?" I nodded "good but maybe you were right, we should celebrate this together"

I shifted my weight onto my hip "if you say so" turning back to the living room I saw the blond glaring as the other two men ate all the food "should we go watch the fireworks?"

Kisame and Hidan grabbed handfuls of snacks and got up "yeah" they grinned and made for the door, Deidara got up and frowned,

"This was going to be it, un, why'd they come back?"

"I don't know" I took his arm and smiled softly "c'mon, let's go"

* * *

The New Year rang in with all of us standing on the cliff edge outside our house, the fireworks lit up the sky in a rainbow of colours and when it was over we watched as hundreds of floating lanterns were released into the air to vanish over the mountains, Hidan and Kisame vanished into the house to begin drinking and Itachi sat in the living room with a book by the fire,

I checked on Sasori to make sure the noise hadn't woken him before returning to the main hall and leaning against the wall to look out the window, Abir was at the forest edge with his mate, I flicked the hall light a couple times and they howled loudly, then a chorus of twenty others joined them as they vanished into the trees,

"Akina, un" glancing over my shoulder I saw Deidara climb the stairs "can we talk?"

"Sure, what's on your mind?"

He ran a hand through his hair and sighed loudly "will you promise not to say anything until I'm done? Un" I nodded "alright…I know I haven't been the best partner, I mean, at the beginning I was a downright jerk, and what I did before Sasori was born was unforgivable, and even though the others don't trust me I know you do, despite your better judgement. So I just want to do something to prove to you that I can be the kind of man you'd be proud to be with"

"What-" he held up his hand to stop me and then pushed it into his pocket to extract a small velvet box,

"I got this before Sasori was born, a few days before I left, un, I wanted to do the complete opposite of what actually happened, instead of leaving you I wanted to be with you forever…but the whole stupid 'love' thing clouded my vision"

"Dei…" I whispered

"Marry me" he opened the box and I was met with a silver band with a small blue sapphire cut into the shape of flower "I love you, un"

"I…"

He raised a hand and cupped my cheek, stepping closer in the process "there's nothing else I can say that will prove myself to you, and the only thing I can do is this, un"

I rubbed my naked ring finger nervously and looked at him "okay…I'll marry you because I love you, not because you think you need to prove yourself"

He grinned and threw his arms around me "Akina, I don't care how cliché this sounds…but you've made me the happiest man alive!" pulling away he kissed my cheek "we'll get married as soon as the guys have forgiven me, un"

"That sounds like a good plan" I nodded and hugged him tightly "Deidara?"

"Hm?" he nuzzled the top of my head,

I laughed breathily "if I were able to, I'd probably ask you to sleep with me now" he chocked slightly "unfortunately I'm still healing"

"Damn" I heard the blond mutter; I pecked his cheek and giggled.

* * *

I rocked Sasori in my arms at four in the morning, humming lightly as I fed him, he didn't seem to want to latch on however and was wailing loudly and beating his fists against my chest,

"C'mon" I sang, freeing my tangled white hair from his grip "go to sleep little boy, it's far to early to play" he sniffed and stopped crying for a moment to stare at me with bright blue eyes, I smiled widely because it seemed he had finally stopped…then he hiccupped and the screaming started again,

There was a sharp banging on the wall next to me "AKINA! MAKE HIM SHUT UP!"

"IF YOU THINK YOU CAN DO BETTER YOU'RE WELCOME TO TRY!" I yelled back to Hidan, he swore and then I heard no more from him "idiot" I buttoned up my shirt and sighed at my baby "he's an idiot isn't he?"

Sasori merely continued to cry; I slumped down in the rocking chair and pulled my legs up, making the chair sway softly,

The door opened and Deidara stepped inside rubbing his eyes "is he still crying? Un"

I rubbed my forehead "he won't stop! I've been trying for three hours to make him go back to sleep, I changed him, I burped him, I fed him, but he just won't stop!"

"Let me try, un" he held out his arms and I shifted the baby from my hold to his, Deidara winced as the infant screamed in his ears "quite the set of lungs" he joked, I didn't laugh and waited to see what he would do "alright…" the man opened out his good hand, the one that still had a tongue, and out popped a tiny clay bird, immediately Sasori stopped crying and his gaze was fixed on the creature, he watched it as it fluttered around the room and landed on his father's shoulder, when it kissed his nose he went to grab it and gurgled as it played catch with him, flittering to him and then leaping away,

My own eyes flickered and I struggled to keep them open, Sasori shared my thoughts and yawned; not even struggling as Deidara placed him in the crib and let the bird sit above him on the headboard "why didn't you do that two and a half hours ago?" I asked sleepily,

He flushed "I told myself it wasn't my place to intrude, un"

"Moron" I stood up and kicked the wall that Hidan had banged earlier "happy now?"

"Thank you!" he called, the blond sniggered and pulled my arm to lead me back to the bedroom,

"You have bags the size of Suna, un"

"You make me feel beautiful" I rolled my eyes as I crawled under the covers and snuggled down into the pillows,

He followed after me and grinned "I know, un" we cuddled up to each other and I sighed, lifting my hand I looked at my ring,

"What happened to my other one? The one I threw at you?"

"I think I traded it for this one, un, I didn't have enough money otherwise"

"And the crystal?"

"It was cracked on the inside, un, the guy couldn't repair it"

"But where is it?"

"In the drawer, un, I couldn't get rid of it because of what it symbolised, but I didn't think you'd want it back"

I lay my head on his shoulder "I think…spring"

"What?"

"That'll be a good time for a Wedding"

"This spring? Un" I nodded and he furrowed his eyebrows "that's only about three months away, I'll never be forgiven by then"

"Maybe, it depends on how much you can prove to them that you mean it" I kissed him before he could argue "I love you…"

"I love you too, un"

* * *

Rose: Kind of short this time, after Christmas is the next one, like I said before. Hope you don't mind waiting so long but it's just about what I can handle right now.

Review please!


	75. Marriage!

Rose: I'm back! Woo! Did everyone have a nice Christmas? I did, and I hope you all had a great New Year too, did anyone make any resolutions? Has anyone broken them already? Lol.

Disclaimer: OC's and plot.

I was laughing as I wrote the first half of this chapter. So I fully expect you all to laugh as you read it, otherwise I'll cry!

* * *

The winter snow melted slowly to be replaced with the first fresh shoots of new grass and young buds, the leaves came through on the trees and the fresh spring showers filled the air with a pleasant musky smell,

I pulled the snow white yakuta around my form and picked up the pale pink obi to tie it around my waist, it matched the pink blossom petals that decorated the hems of my dress; humming lightly I then pulled my long locks up and tied them into a bun with a pink paper flower to decorate it, then I smiled at the reflection happily,

There was a knock at the door "who is it?" I asked,

"Me" Itachi replied, opening the door and peeking in "are you ready, we're all waiting for you"

"Just about" I picked up the bouquet of wildflowers Abir had picked for me and smiled at the Uchiha "how do I look?"

"Beautiful" he reached out and squeezed my hand tightly "do you want me to walk you down?"

I shook my head "no, I'm find on my own. You just hold Sasori"

"Aimi has that role coveted, I think she's practicing" I giggled "are you ready now?"

"Let's go" he went out first and I followed him down to the back door, standing there I collected myself and took a deep breath, Itachi was already out there waiting with the others and I could hear music, opening the door slowly I stepped out into the sun with the flowers pressed to my chest, on either side of me was an aisle made of flowers, at the end my rose arch was in full bloom, Hidan stood under it with a book and Deidara was beside him wearing a formal grey kimono, he gulped when he saw me approach, Aimi, Itachi and Kisame stood on one side, Abir and his mate sat on the other, the former with a red bow tie and the latter with a flower wreath on her head,

Gliding down the makeshift path I met up with the blond, he smiled weakly and took both my hands in his as we faced each other,

"Dearly beloved!" Hidan began with a regal tone "we are gathered here today to join this woman and this pansy in everlasting matrimony for reasons unknown to all sane people-" he ignored the glare Deidara shot him "-I think it's because he knocked her up, but whatever"

"Hidan" Itachi warned,

The silver haired man sighed and threw his book over his shoulder to extract some cards from his pocket, the lines he was supposed to be saying, though he was obviously adding his own points to them as he began "Akina, do you take this sissy, pansy 'man' as your lawfully wedded husband, even though you're smoking hot and could do so much fucking better even with a young kid and quite possibly a mutated looked snatch?"

"HIDAN!" Itachi and Kisame roared,

"Okay, okay. Akina your answer?"

"I do" I nodded, blushing brightly, the man before me grinned, it dropped off however as Hidan began to ask him,

"Deidara, do you take this woman, this…really, really hot, sexy woman with an ass like-"

"Hidan!" Aimi placed one hand on her hip, Sasori resting on her other one wearing a tiny kimono that matched that of his fathers,

"Sorry darling" the Steam-Nin blushed as she glared at him, the rest of us sighed "-to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

Deidara began "I-"

"Whom you abandoned during her pregnancy because you were a yellow bellied little girl?"

"I-"

"Whom you also kidnapped and abused for a short while?"

"I-"

"And then-"

"HIDAN!" everyone minus Deidara and I shouted,

"Sorry"

The blond took a calming breath and then locked eyes with me "I do, un" I smiled widely,

"If anyone here should disagree as to why these two people should not be together, speak now…or may Jashin strike you down, rip off you head, eat your soul and defecate on your entrails" we all remained silent "anyone?" he looked around "Itachi? Kisame? The dog?" we raised our eyebrows at him and he sighed "fine, I now pronounce you, husband and wife. Exchange the rings…er, ring" he flicked a gold band at me to place on Deidara's finger "may I present Mr and Mrs…uh…" he glanced at Deidara "dude, what's your last name? You never fucking told me, after all these years!"

The blond smiled shyly "Michiko, un"

"No, I said **your **last name, fucking idiot"

My groom glared at him harshly "we're taking her name! Un"

Hidan blinked magenta eyes slowly before looking at the others "is that allowed?"

"Hidan!" Itachi crossed his arms and tapped his foot "they could have been married already if you wouldn't keep interrupting yourself!"

The Steam-Nin huffed "I don't know why I'm the one who has to marry them anyway!"

"Cause you're registered to do it" Kisame answered him,

"Yeah, as a fucking Jashinist! They aren't fucking Jashinist's!" I started sniggering and the ex-immortal growled nastily "whatever! Mr and Mrs Michiko; done, happy? Where's the cock-sucking booze!" he threw the cards down and stormed off "you can kiss each other now!"

Deidara placed his hands on my waist and I wrapped mine around his neck before we pressed our lips against each others, the others clapped happily and there was a flash from beside us, we turned sharply to see Kisame with a camera, he wiped away an imaginary tear "you're all grown up!" he scurried off before Deidara could say anything,

Itachi walked over next and kissed my cheek; then he stared sharply at the blond and held out his hand "take care of her"

"I will, un" my husband winced as the Uchiha almost cracked his knuckles, Abir chuckled as he passed by,

"You know I'm always watching" he grinned, showing off his pearly whites "and as soon as my pups are born I'll be over every day with them to keep an eye on you"

"I will! I will! Un" the man cried suddenly,

"Good" the Uchiha and dog said at the same time; Aimi bounced over and I took Sasori from her, he gazed up at me and reached for the small locks of hair hanging around my face,

The woman burst into tears "that was so beautiful!" I laughed "even with Hidan doing the ceremony!"

"OI!"

I felt Deidara's arm wrap around my waist "I love you, un" he whispered when the others had gone to stop Hidan drinking all the alcohol "and you" he added, pinching Sasori's cheek, his son grabbed his hand and slobbered on it with all three mouths, I giggled,

"I love you too"

* * *

Aimi and Hidan had stolen Sasori back, they'd finished their house at the foot of the cliff and were taking care of him for the next few nights because since he'd been born Aimi had decided she wanted a baby too, no arguments!

Itachi and Kisame were going to stay in the village so Deidara and I would be all alone,

I closed my eyes and lay my head on his shoulder as we swayed back and forth, the music had long been turned off and the blossoms from the cherry trees were catching in the wind and flowing around us; he pulled away and kissed my forehead "it's late, un" he whispered, I blinked up at him in realisation,

"What?" I glanced around "where is everyone?"

"Gone, un, it's almost midnight" my hands slid down his arms slowly and I stepped away a tiny bit,

"I didn't even notice!"

Deidara laughed "should we head upstairs? Un" I pushed back a lock of hair and blushed before nodding, he slipped one arm under my knees and another around my shoulders "the husband should carry his new wife into the house, right?"

"That's really not necessary when we've been living in the house together already" I replied as he kicked the back door shut and started up the stairs,

"This is the first time in almost a year, un" he whispered, setting me down on the bed "it wasn't even that long for our very first time. If you're nervous-"

I kissed him quickly "I'm not nervous"

"But if…if you do start to feel nervous, un, or scared, or…or if it hurts or anything! Just tell me and we can stop!"

"Okay" I nodded, pulling my legs up onto the mattress and fiddling with the tie of his kimono,

"I mean it, un, don't think you have to carry on!"

I pulled him down next to me without him noticing, he also didn't notice when I opened up his shirt to reveal his chest "okay" I replied again and nipped his neck,

"I don't want this to be a repeat of the first time and…what're you doing? Un" I stood up and untied my pink obi, dropping it to the ground and sliding my dress down my arms until it pooled at my feet and I could step out of it "Akina!"

"You really need to relax" I whispered, cupping his cheek and pecking his lips,

He grinned sheepishly "this is a role reversal, un" I laughed and kissed him again, he slipped his arms around my waist to pull me down so I was straddling him, at the same time I pushed his kimono down his shoulders and untied his pants, the feeling of his bare skin against mine was almost euphoric and I pressed my kiss harder,

Deidara pulled me down and rolled on-top of me, being careful not to place his full weight down but at the same time keeping his arms around me, I slid my fingers up into his hair just before breaking our lips, he seemed to whine as I pulled back but it was cut short when I moved down his neck to his collar bone, running my leg up and down his as I did so that he was shuddering in pleasure,

He swallowed a yelp when my fingers wrapped around his length and began to stroke gently, I twirled the tip slowly before running the fingertips down to cup his balls "oh God! Un" the blond threw his head back and moaned, I felt his member harden and stretch in my grip, burying his face into my neck Deidara began to pant "let me…" he begged so I returned my hands to his shoulders and wrapped my legs around his hips, he started kissing my neck, sucking the skin slightly each time, the hand with a tongue still attached lay across my breast and nibbled, making me arch my back and moan,

It was cut short when Deidara moved away to lean against the headboard and pull me into his lap, his hands grasped my thighs and his lips sought out mine "love you" I whispered,

"You too, un" he replied, taking my hips and guiding me down onto him, I closed my eyes and hardened my jaw as I took a sharp in-take of breath for a moment, the man froze for a few seconds but visibly relaxed as I did "does it hurt?"

"No" I said quietly, opening my eyes again and laughing breathlessly "it just feels…a little foreign" he grinned and pulled me closer, resting his forehead on my breast,

"Akina, un, there's something I never did for you. Even though I meant to"

"What's that?" I asked softly, he nuzzled my neck as I started to move over him,

"I release you, un"

I stopped and gasped "what?"

"You aren't my prisoner anymore, un"

"I never thought I was"

"No, when we left Ame I stopped treating you like one, un, but the entire time we've been here I never actually told you that you were free to leave whenever you wanted. I…just wanted to let you know that after all we've been through, I don't want to be your captor and I don't want you to be my prisoner anymore"

Running my fingers through his hair I smiled "thank you Deidara" he raised his head and kissed me "I love you, Mr Michiko" I giggled,

"I love you too…Mrs Michiko, un"

* * *

Rose: There's only one more chapter to go! And it's going to be an epilogue type thing just to wrap everything up.

Review please!


	76. Epilogue

Rose: This is it, the final chapter of Muse! We've come a long way, this thing took over three years to complete; there were ups, there were downs…but here we are!

Disclaimer: OC's and plot.

* * *

"Mama…"

I turned away from the sink in the direction of the living room in time to see my small son stomp in with a frustrated expression; I smiled lightly "what is it, sweetheart?"

He shook his head, ruffling his strawberry blond locks, and stared at me with sky blue eyes "I'm bored! Come and play with me"

Setting down the dishcloth I struggled down so I was eye level with the five year old "darling, I've told you, mummy isn't in the right condition to play with you right now. Wait until your father comes back and ask him"

Sasori pressed his tiny hand to my large stomach and pouted angrily "why is it taking so long? It's not fair; whenever I want to do something with you, you can't because of the baby!"

I almost giggled and hid it by kissing the top of his head "your father will play with you"

"But he can't grow flowers in the garden! I want to do that!"

"You know you can't learn that" I explained softly "you have Deidara's Jutsu" he opened up his palms and frowned, the mouths mimicked him,

"I don't like them; they bite me when I'm sleeping!"

"They'll grow out of it" I held his hands and pulled him into a hug, with difficulty because of my belly, he buried his face into my shoulder "besides, I thought you liked your father's Jutsu, you were always begging for his birds when you were little"

"It's not that I don't like them…but they're boring!" I stifled another giggle "they just go 'boom' and that's it. I like your Jutsu better cause it's always different and you can make them last forever!"

"You're so much more like your namesake" I mumbled, Sasori didn't hear me and I glanced up at the ceiling, imagining the original one laughing at the irony of Deidara's son favouring the eternal "okay, sweetheart, I have to finish the cake"

He blinked up at me as I pulled away "what kind is it?" I could see the wheels in his head turning and knew I had to answer carefully,

"Carrot Cake, your favourite"

Sasori grinned widely "not the babies?"

I laughed "the baby doesn't have a favourite anything yet" he looked satisfied,

"But…when the baby is here, and it does have a favourite something, would you make that instead of mine?"

Placing the freshly baked cake on the side I thought for a moment "well, I guess we'd have to alternate"

"Al…al…what?"

"Heh…take turns. Like when we make dinner, sometimes it's your favourite food, sometimes it's mine, sometimes it's your fathers and sometimes it's something all of us enjoy" my son pulled a chair over so he could watch me ice the cake,

"When the baby comes, can we replace dad's favourite with it's? I don't like Bakudan"

This time I really did burst into laughter "oh…you're so unlike your father that it's almost sad" Sasori furrowed his eyebrows,

"I don't get it"

I waved my hand "don't worry, darling" brushing back my hair I placed the finished cake on the table "no picking at it" I ordered as his hand reached out, he retracted it quickly and blushed,

"When will the baby get here?"

"It was due a week ago, so it won't be long"

"Will I have a brother or a sister?" he asked,

"I don't know. Why? Do you have a preference?" the boy was silent as he thought about what I was saying, he figured out the long word quickly enough,

"Kenta at school has a sister"

"He has a big sister; you'll be having a little sister or brother"

The redhead sighed "I don't want either"

"Why not?"

"Cause when the baby's here you'll forget about me!"

"Don't be silly, we're not going to forget about you"

He frowned "but…what if you love the baby more than me?"

I sat at the table and ran my fingers through his hair "Sasori, the heart is very special. There's always enough room in it for more people, and those people are all loved the exact same amount"

"So you love me the same as dad?"

Smiling I nodded "it's a different kind of love, but yes"

"I thought I was your favourite!"

I hugged him "you're my favourite son!"

"But what if the baby is a boy?"

"Then you'll be my favourite big son, and the baby will be my favourite little son" I stated,

He rubbed my stomach and I winced suddenly, he felt it "what was that?"

"Nothing, dear, nothing; why don't you go play?"

"That's why I came in here in the first place!" he argued, I chuckled,

"Alright, alright. I can't grow you any flowers but perhaps we could draw, or paint, or I could read you a story?"

He sighed "fine…"

Getting up to follow the boy I placed a hand on my stomach and grunted, another inkling of pain had run through me "typical, just after I finish consoling your brother you decide to make an appearance" as if arguing the baby kicked hard "just like when Sasori was born, you're going to be stubborn"

The redhead was ready on the sofa with the book he wanted me to read "mama?"

"Darling, before we begin, would you run upstairs and under mummy's bed is a bag of your father's clay. Bring a handful to me please?" he did as I asked and returned after a couple minutes "now, do you remember how to make a bird?" he nodded and pushed the clay into the mouth on his hand, since it was smaller than Deidara's it had trouble chewing and took much longer to charge the clay, as he was doing this I neatly scribbled out a note to my husband for the bird to take "thank you" I smiled, taking the bird and opening the front door to release it,

"Is something wrong?"

"No, now what book did you choose?"

* * *

"And the Big Bad Wolf said-"

"Akina!" I cut myself off mid-sentence as the front door was flung open and my husband stalked into the living room with an anxious expression "I got your bird, un"

Sasori leapt off the sofa and ran to his father, holding his arms to him to indicate he wanted to be picked up, but Deidara merely ruffled his hair quickly and took a seat beside me, our son wandered back over with a pout "I'm fine" I said "I just wanted you to know it was starting"

"Why aren't you worried? Shouldn't we get to the hospital? Where's the overnight bag? How long has this been happening? Un"

I sighed "I'm not worried because I know there's still a long time to go. We don't need the hospital yet. It's under our bed. Only about fifteen minutes"

"But-"

"Go play with Sasori, he's been waiting all morning for you to come back" we glanced over to see him standing, when he noticed us he grinned and lifted his box of building blocks, Deidara looked between us and then went to sit on the floor with his son, pushing the table out of the way so they could begin building as I remained where I was watching them,

An hour passed and I shifted my position, pressing a hand to my stomach as I did and wincing "I think it's time" my husband looked away from the Sistine Chapel of blocks he'd built with Sasori with a puzzled look, then he blinked,

"Oh crap!"

"Ahem" I coughed and he recovered with an apology as he helped me to my feet "go get the bag under mummy's bed for her please?" as I said it the redhead vanished and returned with the backpack "can you get the others?"

"I'll contact them when we arrive at the hospital, un" the blond replied, picking me up and jumping onto the back of the bird he had outside, Sasori climbed on beside us, having become used to riding them early on in his life,

Landing outside of a hospital, the nearest of which was about eight miles south of the village; the next few moments passed as a blur as I was laid on a stretcher and carted off to some unknown area to begin the labour completely, Deidara was forced to remain behind with Sasori until someone arrived, as a five year couldn't be left alone no matter what the situation.

* * *

Leaning back against the pillows I groaned loudly when a crushing contraction pressed down on me, the doctor assisting me told me to remain calm but I could see on his face that he was anything but, and that unnerved me, nurses flittered in and out as hours passed and there was no change in my condition,

Finally one of the nurses appeared with a long haired blond man who rushed over and kissed my forehead "are you alright? Un, it's been hours!"

"I think so" I nodded and hissed through my teeth "but…ah…but something's not right!"

"What makes you say that? Un" he dabbed at my forehead and glanced down at my beach-ball of a belly, still no different to how it had been when we arrived, I didn't know what he was expecting; maybe for me to be as flat as a plain and to be clutching a tiny bundle but I was obviously not fulfilling his expectations,

"Mrs Michiko" the doctor drew our attention "I'm afraid the drugs aren't working, I think there may be a problem we can't resolve whilst your like this"

"What? What's wrong?" I tried to sit up but Deidara and a nurse stopped me,

He took a deep breath "the baby is breech" when we didn't follow he continued "feet first, this makes for a difficult labour, especially since your body doesn't seem to be naturally…equipped for such a feat" he was referring to my tiny hips and we knew it "what's more…I fear that the umbilical cord may be wrapped around the baby's neck, preventing it from shifting to another position and endangering its life in the process"

I panted "so…so what're you going to do?"

"I want to perform a Caesarean"

"WHAT?"

It wasn't me who shouted, but Deidara "please, sir-"

"No way in hell are you cutting my wife up like a steak! Un" he roared,

"Deidara-" I tried weakly,

"No! No! It's not happening! Un, it's not natural!"

_Typical Iwa male mentally!_

"Sir! If we don't operate then your baby and possibly your wife could **die**!" the doctor argued,

"I said no! Where I come from there's no such thing as a Caesarean and babies are born healthy! You just aren't trying hard enough! Un" he spat furiously,

"Mr Michiko!" the doctor dropped all attempts at being calm "if you don't lower your voice you will be escorted off the premises" the blond faltered at the threat and sunk his teeth into his bottom lip,

"Do it!" I ordered, clutching at the bars of the bed "do what you have to!"

"Akina! Un"

"Deidara, this is about me and the baby, not about your stone-aged ideologies!" I snapped and he clenched his fists, not missing the double meaning of the word 'stone' referring to his old village. The doctor turned to the nurses and began giving orders to have another room prepped within five minutes as my husband sulked at my side,

In a moment of curiosity I forgot about my pain and addressed him "are there really no C-Sections in Iwa?"

"No, un" he mumbled, looking away "it's not natural. Babies have to be **born **to be born, if you understand"

"Vaguely, but all I keep imagining is that scene from Macbeth about that Macduff guy" I laughed quietly before moaning in agony "God…you're never doing this to me again!"

"Me? Un, if I recall is was you who wanted to-"

"You're the one who wants to keep trying until we get a girl! You better hope this one is because after today I'm off limits unless you wrap it up beforehand!"

His cheeks flushed "but…but…can't I just take the pill, or the mill, whatever you called it?"

"No! It only has a ninety-five percent success rate, that's lower than the female pill, which I'll be taking also!"

His blue eyes darted wildly about the room and then, he just stopped and fixed his gaze on me "I'm just going to assume this is your hormones talking, un" he smiled politely,

I growled "don't start that crap with me!"

"That's right, dear" he continued as if I'd said nothing "you can have the procedure as long as we never speak of it again, un, and afterwards you can't take the pill because you said you wanted to breastfeed again and it will mess up your milk production, and I can't wear condoms because they make me lose it, so…we'll just have to carry on as usual and 'hope' you don't get pregnant again" he was grinned as if he'd just discovered the cure to the common cold, I gaped at him "I read all the 'New Mother' magazines in the waiting room"

"Oh yeah?" I glared at him and he suddenly looked scared "I'm getting the procedure whether you like it or not because there's more at stake here than your damn male ego! And I'll talk about it as much as I fucking want! Further more, I can start taking the pill again after six weeks, and during those six weeks you're aren't getting your dirty hands on me because I'll be healing from the damage **your** rock-headed spawn will have left in its wake just like last time! You **will** wear condoms after that time because otherwise I'll be castrating you with my bare hands! So, which is more preferable?"

"Condoms" he answered instantly, I fell back into the pillows with a smirk,

"Thank you, darling, I love you"

"I love you too, un" his voice pitched at the end because I'd just crushed his hand in my hold when the contractions started up again "you just broke my fingers!"

"Oh, I'm **so sorry**! Why don't we swap places since, clearly, you're in far more pain?"

"Point taken, un" he wriggled his hand away and began to heal the wounds quickly as the nurses and doctor returned,

"We're ready for you" the bed was steered out of the door and down the hall, Deidara was trying to keep up but one of the nurses pushed him back "I'm afraid you'll have to remain in the Waiting Room, due to the complications no family can be allowing in the operating theatre"

"Akina!" he shouted as I vanished behind the doors,

"Dei!"

* * *

Opening my eyes I blinked up at the painfully white ceiling with fuzzy eyes; it felt like I'd gone five rounds with a kangaroo in my belly, speaking of which, my stomach felt tight and tender but inside I felt loose and flabby, glancing down I found myself in a small room tucked into a bed, my hand reached out and shook my stomach, the loose skin shook like jelly and I laughed lightly,

"Ow" pushing myself up I got more comfortable but it hurt to move too much so once I was leaning against the headboard I didn't try to shift again "I'm never doing that again!"

Out of the corner of my sky blue eye I saw something in the doorway and watched a nurse enter the room looking down at a clipboard, she seemed surprised that I was conscious "oh, you're awake?" I smiled wryly and shrugged "let's see…Michiko Akina, excellent, I'll go inform your husband you're up, he's been asking every nurse that passes by, and on the way I'll collect your new arrival" she smiled as he left and I waited patiently,

Soon enough Deidara appeared holding Sasori with one arm, he glanced around the room nervously, looking for the baby, when he didn't find it he locked eyes with me and let his son go because he was squirming so much "mama!" he cried, flinging himself across my lap, I grunted quietly and he was pried off immediately,

"Be careful Sasori! Un" the man scolded "your mother just 'gave birth' so you can't go crawling all over her like you used to!"

"Don't say it that way" I joked, he pulled a face and lost the fight with the toddler "come here darling" I whispered, pulling the redhead up beside me and cuddling him, he stuck his tongue out at his father who mimicked him, I giggled,

"So where is it? Is it a boy or a girl? Un"

"I don't know, about half way through the procedure I blacked out and only woke up a few minutes ago" Deidara's face fell "but the nurse said she'd get the baby after getting you"

As I said it she waltzed into the room holding a tiny bundle, after handing it to me she smiled and left us together "well?" the blond urged, I smiled down at the baby and kissed its tiny nose, Sasori peered over with wide blue eyes, I pulled away the yellow folds of the blanket and not a moment later Deidara whooped "a girl? It's a girl!" he shouted "I have a girl! Un"

"A sister!" my son breathed "I have a sister?"

"Yes" I whispered "isn't she lovely?"

The ex-nin cupped my face and kissed me quickly "I love you, un, I love you!"

"Ugh" Sasori grimaced "dad, don't kiss mama; it's gross"

"What? You kiss her all the time! Un"

"Yeah, but I'm **supposed** to!"

Deidara rolled his eyes "can I hold her? Un"

I handed our tiny daughter to him carefully and he held her tightly to his chest and stroked the downy white fluff on her head "I wanted to hold her!" Sasori argued, running a hand through his hair I smiled,

"In a minute, sweetheart"

"She's going to look like you, un"

"Probably" I agreed, still holding my son close "and to think she wasn't 'born'"

"Don't be silly, un, that's just stone-aged nonsense" he shot me a smirk as I laughed gently "ah…she's gorgeous…I'll never let her go"

"Good luck feeding her then"

"Uh…except maybe for that, un" she started to whimper and cry "uh…and that!" he thrust her back into my arms and she was instantly calmed, Sasori now cradled her with my help,

"Everyone is going to be so jealous! My sister is the best ever cause she looks like you!" he said to me "and I'm going to be the best brother ever, I'll play with her every day and show her all of the Jutsu dad showed me and-" he paused suddenly "she doesn't have mouths on her hands!" he squawked,

"Of course not" his father chuckled "only boys have them!"

"But…but…this means she'll have mama's Jutsu! That's not fair!"

We were laughing at him as the doctor entered "I'm glad the operation went well, your baby is perfectly healthy"

"I'm so relieved" I replied, hugging her close,

"But, there is just one thing I've come here to say" I exchanged glances with the Iwa-male "I must advise you to not try for any more children"

Deidara frowned "what? Why? Un"

"Mrs Michiko, your body was not fully equipped to handle birth well in the first place, your narrow pelvis is unable to expand far enough to allow for a clean birth unlike most women, it's a miracle you weren't broken in half during the birth of your son" I winced at the thought "it's your choice but I'm afraid that your body will be unable to handle the trauma of another pregnancy and labour, natural or otherwise"

"Thank you" I nodded "luckily I wasn't planning on any more after this" smiling at Sasori and my daughter I sighed "I appreciate all you've done"

He bowed "my pleasure, but I must excuse myself as I have other patients"

"No more? Un" Deidara pouted pitifully, I stroked his cheek,

"What are you sulking about? You've got the girl you always wanted and a son who is most defiantly **not **a monster, unless there's a mystical third sex I've never heard of you should be content"

"What about a monster?" Sasori paled and eyed the edge of the bed worriedly,

"Nothing, love, why don't you go and find Uncle Itachi and the others, I'm sure they'd love to meet your new sister"

"Yeah!" he cried, I took back the baby and he scampered from the room,

"I always wanted two girls, un"

"No you didn't; you just made that up!"

The blond grinned cheekily "yeah, you're right. She's perfect, Sasori's perfect…" he blinked at me "and you're perfect, un"

"I'm glad you remembered" I drew him closer and pressed my lips to his, throwing one arm around his neck and using the other to hold the baby, he placed both his hands on the curve of my waist and kissed back "I love you"

"I love you too, un"

"Remind me again how we ended up here?" I touched our noses and he blushed lightly,

"Because from the moment I first saw you I was under the impression that you were the most beautiful woman on Earth and destined to be the mother of my rock-headed children, un"

I pecked his lips "uh huh, is that all?"

"Well…there's that, un, and then there's the fact that you're my wonderful Muse and the inspiration for everything I do"

"There it is" brushing some of my mussed up snowy locks away from my face I hugged him tightly "can you be my Muse too?"

"Only if I inspire things in you, un"

I breathed into his ear softly "oh, you inspire me alright…in many different ways" I felt his neck grow hot "and you can inspire me again…" his hands were twitching against the ties of my hospital gown "in six to eight weeks!"

He groaned.

* * *

Rose: I thought it would be good to end on a funny, pivotal and yet strangely romantic note.

And that, my dear readers, is Muse. Almost exactly three years in the making, 76 chapters, including this one! There were fights, there was action, there was a lot of love and a few lemons; it started out rocky but gained a great number of fans. This story would never have gotten this far without you. There were times when I believed I'd never finish this thing but you all kept me going and for that I thank you.

If you wish to read anything else I've written take a look on my profile. Also on there is a list of stories I'm working on and thinking about publishing, one of them is another Akina-Deidara.

For the last time for this great epic…Review please!


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